


Maybe someday.

by Daydreamer17



Category: The 100 (TV), kabby - Fandom
Genre: AU all the way, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Comfort Sex, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Kabby, Kabby smut, Lies, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Oh what a mess, no one dies, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:06:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 57,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22146898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer17/pseuds/Daydreamer17
Summary: Alternate Universe where Abby and Marcus are co-workers in a newsroom and friends...  Until shit happens... Or is it love?
Relationships: Abby Griffin & Clarke Griffin, Abby Griffin & Jake Griffin, Abby Griffin & Marcus Kane, Abby Griffin/Jake Griffin, Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane, Callie Cartwig/Marcus Kane
Comments: 24
Kudos: 130





	1. Just another day at the office

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first attempt at writing fic, so please don't expect a masterpiece! Oh, and english is not my mothertongue, so let me apologize in advance if there are some strange sentences or words. And finally, I have never set foot in a newsroom, so bear with me and pretend it's some sort of accurate. Honestly, I just wanted to share some Kabby feels and Kabby love, because....they deserved so much more than what we got, and I'm hoping that these two amazing actors will get to work together again someday and share their exceptional chemistry with us once more. Comments will be very welcome thank you!

1- Just another day in the office

As usual, today, like any other day, it is total havoc in the newsroom, at least for anyone who's not familiar with the buzzing energy that the people working there need and thrive on.

"Hi mom!"

"Clarke? What are you doing here?"

"I just dropped Octavia here, so I thought I'd come say hi."

"Oh, that's nice! How did the sleepover go then? You girls had fun?"

"Yeah, you know Marcus is a really cool dad, he didn't mind us staying up late and didn't interfere with our evenings."

"You mean he‘s less uptight than here at work then? Well, that's good to hear!"

"Oh come on, mom, You've been working with him for what, 2 years now? You know he can be an ass, but deep down he's a puppy! Isn't he one of your best friends by now?"

"Ha ha ha, touché, Clarke, you're right, he is… Don't tell everybody our secret though, we like to banter and fight and keep everyone on their toes... How is his wife? I haven't seen her in ages."

"Callie isn't here at the moment, she's on the west coast visiting her sister, and supervising the opening of one of her new hotels."

"Oh right, he did mention that actually.... So, you're off to school?"

"College, mother, college! Yes, I gotta run actually, alright, be good, mom, don't let dad annoy you too much, ok? And I'll see you this weekend."

"Yes baby, you take care and have a good week then!"

Just as she is heading to her office, she hears a voice calling out for her from upstairs. Looking up, she sees Marcus motioning at her to come up, then he turns around and heads to his own office.

"Good morning, Abby, how was your weekend?"

He doesn't see it, but she winces slightly, although years working in front of the camera have taught her well, and the smile on her face doesn't even falter when she answers.

"It was fine, thank you. And thanks again for having Clarke stay with you guys all weekend."

"It was no big deal! Besides, she's a good influence to Octavia! I swear Raven is gonna have such a hard time with her as an intern, I really want to see how she's gonna keep her in check! So, anyway, it seems it's gonna be a tough day… Trump has struck again, we're waiting from our source's confirmation, but tonight's news might be a bomb again. So... Are you ready to kick ass?"

She smiles. "Always. Oh, do you think we're gonna need to spend 22 hours out of 24 here then? Like when he was elected?"

"Ha ha ha I remember that actually, your first, what… month here? And all hell broke loose! And you seemed constantly on the verge of a panic attack!"

"I was NOT having a panic attack! I was just annoyed at your constant yelling at everybody!"

"Hey, I'm editor in chief, I had to make sure everyone would get over the shock of the result of the election and do a correct job!''

"Oh that's why you were such an asshole for the whole week?"

"I was NOT an asshole!"

"You were so!"

"Ok, maybe just a little, but what was I supposed to do? Bring you cookies and a cappuccino and tell you you were as cute as a button when you were mad?"

"No, but maybe try to make me feel like a normal person, and not a nuisance to your beautifully organized team? Anyway, the answer to my initial question would be...?"

"Would be yes, there's a good chance..."

"Alright, I'll make some arrangements then. We wouldn't want to risk another POSSIBLE panic attack, right?" At that she lightly slaps his arm. He grabs her wrist and pulls her to him, wrapping her quickly in a friendly hug. Then, letting her go:

"Should I apologize for my past behavior? Is that what you need?"

She bursts out laughing. "Hey you know? That would be nice.... I'm joking actually… I know the real you by now, like my daughter says… Deep down you're just a puppy!"

She turns around and opens the door, but stops before leaving and turns back to him with a little smile and a raised eyebrow.

"So… Cute as a button...mmm...Right..."

"Puppy, hey?...Right..."

She walks down the stairs, thoughtful, and dare she admit it, a little flustered… He thought she was cute… How did that happen? And why does she seem to care suddenly? Is that normal between adult friends? Have they ever had a flirty banter before? Because, frankly, that was flirting, right? No, probably not. You're imagining things, get your act together! Seriously, you hug the man, he hugs you, he gives you his sweater when you complain about the AC, you pick at his food and he picks at yours whenever you order take out on late nights at work, you take naps on the couch in his office, occasionally using his lap as a pillow... And there's nothing wrong with that! And come on Griffin, he is your friend, he's also your boss for God's sake, and you AND he are both happily married. Aren't you… No no no, don't go there now, just keep it bottled up, you can do it.

She sits at her desk, looking at the rest of the team through the glass wall of her office. It's going to be a long week for them all, she feels, and although it‘s going to be tiring and stressful as hell, she knows they all live for this kind of buzz.

A couple of hours later, there's a knock on her door. She's already knee deep into the story, trying to get the white house on the phone not surprisingly a harder task than she would have liked, and barely looks up.

"Come in!"

"Marcus is calling everyone into the newsroom for a plan of action in 10 minutes."

"Alright, thanks!"

She collects her iPad and her notes scarcely written on post its, trying to put them in order, and walks out towards the large room. Everyone is there, some seated in their chairs, some standing by the row of tv screens, some leaning on desks.

"Hey Abby, I didn't know you were here already!"

"Hi Bell, are you ready for the week of hell? I hear it's gonna be hot ..."

"I'm excited actually! Do you think we're gonna have to go for special news flashes as well?"

"Oh god, I hope not! I mean, you are young and handsome, you surely can pull it off, but I'm not sure I can do it! Even with the magic powers of Echo and her make up, I will look like shit after a sleepless night!"

"Oh, I'm sure you can take naps on Kane's couch, isn't that how you managed to look as radiant as ever last time?"

"Last time was "just an earthquake " and it was only one sleepless night. I 'd say we might not be so lucky this time..."

"Abby, don't worry, you are beautiful no matter what, and the audience loves you, so it doesn't matter if you have bags under those gorgeous eyes… You're still the best news host out there!"

"Oh my, Bell, thank you for that! This is the nicest compliment I've heard in a long time!"

"Don't tell me your husband doesn't tell you what a beauty you are all the time! And smart!"

She snorts.

"Well let's just say my husband only has eyes for his cats, dogs, snakes, whatever pets he gets to treat or operate on. The human species now seems very boring to him I believe… Oh, here comes the man!"

"Hi everyone! So two things: Let's get ready as fast as possible for tonight's bulletin, because rumor has it the week is gonna be hectic and probably filled with surprises and drama! So I expect everyone fully operational on a 24/24 basis, I'm gonna need you all to be fast, concise, and with your eyes and ears open. As usual, be really cautious with the hoaxes, the trolls and all that nice fake news which might appear along the way. Report to me or to Abby with any issues that you might encounter. Raven, make sure we have a clean internet environment please. Jackson, I want you and John to handle the international incoming info. Indra, please try get in touch with the spokesman for the democrats, and if you can get any other insights from that side, that might be useful. So guys, before all hell breaks loose, just get organized with your private lives, make the necessary arrangements in case you can't go home on a regular basis. And people, let's make the best out of this! Thank you!"

With that, he turns around and walks up the stairs back to his office, while everyone scatters around, starting with phone calls or talking amongst themselves, making plans.

"Hey Abby, should we start right away with the outline for tonight then?"

"Sure Bell, give me 15 minutes then come to my office?"

On the way to her office, she bumps into a delivery boy.

"Excuse me, I have a package for Marcus Kane here, and I need a signature?"

"Upstairs, and you'll see his name on the door to your right."

The box the man is holding is quite big, and seems to be heavy, and she wonders what Marcus has ordered to get a delivery in the office, and not at home.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Abby, get on with your day..." she tells herself.

She spreads her notes in front of her and starts rummaging through them and making two piles, one for the forthcoming bulletin, and one for the rest of the week, with all the interrogations that might or might not arise. Octavia suddenly bursts into her room, laughing like a schoolgirl.

"Abby, did you know my dad is the number one weirdo on the planet?"

"Good morning, Octavia! And yes, I sort of had a feeling he was, but it seems you now have proof? Care to share?"

"He just got… Ha ha ha he's so crazy, he just got an inflatable mattress oh my God! For his office! I swear I love my dad, but this is so unglamorous I'm sorry!"

"Wow, it probably means he's very very serious when he says there's a good chance we're gonna actually live here for the whole week."

"Hell yes! He's already made plans to have grandma pick me up tonight and he said I need to get ready to stay over with her for as long as it takes… Ugh, could you explain to him that I'm perfectly capable of staying on my own at home?"

"Come on O, first it's none of my business."

"Oh, but you're his best friend I think! And he actually listens to you! I mean at home, we get "Abby says this" and " Abby does that" all the time, sometimes it drives mom crazy actually! So you see, if Abby could say: "your daughter will survive on her own" he would let me do it..."

"Well, Abby says: "I am not getting into this", and this is all you will get from me! And - "

They are interrupted by a short knock, then the door bursts open, with a laughing Bellamy saying:

"You've got to come see this, Abby! The boss has actually bought a bunch of air mattresses in case we'd want to take naps? They are piling them in the resting room as we speak! That's a first, right?"

Octavia rolls her eyes and pushes past Bellamy.

"Weirdo number one, what did I just say..."

Abby laughs and rolls her eyes too.

"Oh my goodness, I'm glad I live to see this… Anyway, what do you say we get at it? I'd rather not get overwhelmed too soon..."

The day goes surprisingly calmly, and when the time comes to go live, everyone is still fairly relaxed.

Bellamy and Abby are joking off camera, waiting for their cue, when Marcus gets into the control room and stands in front of the monitors. He shakes his head with a sigh and a little smile.

Sinclair, seated at the control panel, looks up.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Wha? Oh nothing, nothing' s wrong, it's just... Each time I'm here I can't help noticing how beautiful she is..."

"Abby?"

"Yes, Abby..!"

Then he blushes slightly, visibly embarrassed at his own admission.

"I mean... They are both so fit to be on camera, you know? They're just both so photogenic, look at her cheekbones, they catch the light in a certain way... Look at her eyes, aren't they just gorgeous? I'm not even mentioning her hair! Damn, this woman could announce the earth is bound to auto destruct in the next 5 minutes and people would still fall in love with her..."

Sinclair frowns with a smirk.

"Right!"

"What does this mean, "right"?"

"It means, if you guys were not happily married, and not to each other, I'd say you've fallen hard for our Abby here....Ha ha ha! On the other hand, I completely hear you. Any red blooded man, or woman is very likely to agree with you. I have a feeling it’s one of the reasons we are still so high in the polls...Viewers seem to like what they see."

"And what they hear...Which is why we need to always be ahead of the game. Even Abby and her charisma, and Bell and his freckles wouldn't be able to keep us where we are now if our team was not the A-team that it is! And for the record, Abby is my friend, and a good friend, and turns out she IS my most beautiful friend, that's all there is to it!"

Sinclair looks down again, pushing a few buttons on the panel, mumbling:

"Yeah, whatever..."

"Ok, Abby, Bell, are you ready, we go in 10!"

Both straighten in their seats, look at the prompters, fix their ear plug.

"In 5, 4, 3..."

"Good evening, I'm Abigail Griffin."

"And I'm Bellamy Blake. Welcome to News at 10."

"What is our president 's new move? Stay tuned and find out..."

An hour later, she is heading back to her office, when she bumps into Marcus, who seems to be rushing out.

"Good job, Abby, and it looks like nothing of vital importance is likely to happen now, so it's safe to say we can go home. Jackson and Indra have volunteered to stay in case of an emergency, so let's head to our beds while we can!"

"Yes you're right, let's not start using the makeshift summer camp tonight!"

He looks at her, and there's laughter in her eyes, she's visibly making fun of him, and enjoying every second of it.

"What's the matter with my mattresses? Don't you like the idea of waking up to Sinclair snoring? Aren't you looking forward to Raven and Nylah's chattering? And here I thought you were a team addict, that you couldn't WAIT to live in a community for a while! Come on Abby, be wild, experience life as a hippie for once!"

"And how come YOU won't experience life as a hippie yourself, with YOUR mattress in YOUR office? Don't you fancy sharing body heat with the rest of the band?”

"Ha ha, touché!... Well, you're welcome to use the deluxe room then, if you cringe at sleeping with the kids. More seriously, I might not be using it much myself, but if you need some privacy, you'll be more than welcome to crash on my bed. I won't tell if you don't tell!"

"I think you've got a deal there, mister! I'll be sure to remember it! Alright, let's go home then. I'll see you first thing tomorrow."

He briefly wraps her in his arms and kisses the top of her head.

"Enjoy your night, and say hi to Jake for me!"

" I will… Good night Marcus!"


	2. Unexpected Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter...As always, these 2 beautiful people do not belong to me, I'm just borrowing them and puttng them in another reality...And as always, kuddos are love, and comments are welcome!

2- Unexpected hell.

The next morning, Marcus is already at his desk, the newsroom is already half full of people, the printers are already unloading pages of information and figures, phones are already randomly ringing, when there's a brisk knock before Abby opens his door, crosses the room, and flops on his couch with a grunt, running her hands in her hair.

"Oh, good morning to you too, sunshine! Aren't you looking cheerful today?"

"Do me favor, please, and just don't talk for a minute?"

"Well you know, if you don't enjoy my company, there's a nice cozy SILENT room downstairs, commonly named YOUR office, want me to show you the way?"

She looks up at him, silent, visibly unimpressed with his light tone and his attempt at humor. Then she sighs, closing her eyes and rubbing her brow, and briskly gets up and heads to the door.

"You're right, sorry for interrupting your peaceful morning, who am I to show up uninvited asking for something stupid anyway."

"Abby..."

But she doesn't even turn around and slams the door behind her.

"What the...?"

He gives her five minutes, gives himself five minutes too to cool off, then he walks down to her office and opens the door without even bothering to knock.

"Care to explain what that was ab... Hey what's wrong?"

She knocks the air out of his anger as soon as she looks up. She's seated behind her desk, elbows on the table and face in her hands, but when she stares at him, her eyes are filled with tears and her whole face looks defeated. "Tears" are something very unfamiliar in Abby's eyes, at least as far as he's seen. The Abby he knows and loves is fierce, is strong, she's a warrior who's made it to the top in the news world, showing everyone she's not only a pretty face, but a skillful journalist and a brilliant editor. She handles everything with confidence and poise and is always surrounded by an air of absolute power and total drive. So seeing her suddenly so vulnerable throws him completely off balance, he doesn't really know how to address this side of her.

"Have you ever heard of the world " knock"? And didn't you listen to a word I said earlier? I need some quiet! Now...Leave!"

"Listen, I'm sorry if I..."

"And I'm sorry if I don't want to know at this minute? Leave! Please! Get out of my face!"

And she ends the argument by hiding her face in her hands again. He's taken aback, but he gets that she really needs space right now, so he turns around and silently closes the door behind him. He doesn't understand what happened to her, but he’s starting to be a little concerned.

"Eric, any bad news you need to report so far? Anything happened while we were gone that Abby knows about?"

"Mmmm, no, nothing came up... Not on my side anyway!"

"Hey Bell, can I talk to you for a sec?"

He lowers his voice a little.

"Do you know what got into Abby this morning? She seems quite distressed and I have no idea what's happened..."

"You know Abby better than me, I think… She's a very private person, though, right? I don't know, maybe she misses Clarke since she's moved to the dorms on campus?"

"Yeah, maybe.... Ok, gotta check up on things, I'll talk to you later!"

He walks back up to his office, after checking that nothing vital has suddenly popped up in the newsroom. Grabs his phone, and orders take out.

Ten minutes later, he knocks on her door, peers inside.

"Peace offering?"

He's showing her the tall cappuccino and the cookies in his hands, with a puppy look on his face. She's moved to the small couch in the corner, has discarded her shoes and is curled into a ball, hugging her knees with her chin resting on top of them... She slowly looks up at him, then in a strangled voice, she answers.

"Sure… Marcus I'm sorry, alright? I was an idiot this morning, I'm sorry..."

"No worries... I'm just concerned about you, are you ok?"

She shrugs.

"I'll be fine… I'm kind of stressed, to be honest..."

He puts the food on the desk, and comes to sit next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, if that's ok with you... Maybe later? But don't worry, it has nothing to do with the job, and it won't interfere with the work that we need to be prepared for."

"I'm not worried about that, I know you are a pro, I'm worried about you!"

She looks right into his eyes, and he gets the weird feeling she's looking straight into his soul; It feels a little disconcerting somehow, and suddenly very personal. Finally, she smiles, and sighs.

"Thank you..."

"Do you need a hug?"

"...I could use one, yes..."

"Alright… Come here!"

As he opens his arms, she snuggles against his chest, resting her head on his heart, and he realizes suddenly how tiny she is. Both remain silent, she's visibly trying to slow down her breathing, nose buried in his shirt, arms wrapped loosely around him, and he 's carefully rubbing her back, pulling her closer and closer. How come he never realized before her hair was so soft and smelling like some exotic fruit and coconut? How come she never felt this comfortable and safe in his embrace? It's not the first time they're locked into a hug, but today some things feel different somehow...

Not wanting to look too much into this realization now, she just rubs her nose on his chest and looks up.

"Oh God, I could get used to this… I think… I think it's time for a cookie now."

He bursts out laughing , and looks down at her.

"So I take it I'm absolved?"

"You are!"

And she detangles from him and walks to her desk. Without looking at him though, she whispers.

"Marcus, thank you… I don't deserve a friend like you. I'm glad you're here..."

He stands up and before leaving, squeezes her shoulder.

"You deserve the world, Abby… And if you need me, you know where to find me… I'm so sorry I was an asshole earlier, but you know, I'm a great listener, and you might not have noticed but I can shut up too."

She laughs and turns to him. Her beautiful smile is back in place.

"I know! And I might take you up on that actually! Ok, go to work now boss, go make our week hectic, and riveting and thrilling!"

The rest of the morning goes rather uneventfully, much to everyone's dismay, somehow they were all expecting to be blown away by the amount of news coming from the democrats, the republicans and the "beloved" president's cabinet. So far, nothing out of the ordinary is coming out, and they are almost bored to be on their usual routine, when one of the screens suddenly comes to life with some tragic news.

"Plane crash over Texas. Flight from Los Angeles to New York."

Everyone starts fishing for further information, of course the lines to the airports are all busy, and the ones in the team working in front of the several screens are all holding their breath in anticipation. Abby is in the middle of the room, talking to Jackson, when Marcus runs down the stairs, trying to keep his cool, but visibly distraught.

"Anything on the plane crash?"

"Not yet. We can't even get the name of the company or the type of airplane! But you know how it works, they're waiting to release that type of information until they know more about casualties. It should show up any minute now hopefully."

"Damn!"

And unexpectedly Marcus flops on the chair nearby, in front of one monitor.

Abby frowns.

"Marcus? What's going on? Anything you know that we don't?"

"I don't want to get ahead of myself, but... Callie was supposed to fly today and surprise Octavia. We didn't tell O about it because there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to leave work, but the plan was she was coming for a couple of days, then back to LA before the end of the week anyway."

"Ok, don't worry too much right now though. We don't know how bad the situation is yet, then there’s a chance she’s not on this flight, right? Any chance she finally decided to not come at all because of too much work?"

"Yes, no, I mean, there's a chance she has too much work , there's a chance she's on another flight too… But I tried calling her cell phone and I went straight to voicemail."

"Now wait! If she is on another flight, there's no way for her to know what is happening, and she won't be able to call you either, or you to reach her."

"But I called her sister and she didn't know whether she was coming home or not; She hasn't seen or talked to her since Saturday. I called the hotel but I get a machine that tells me they're not open yet and I can leave a message."

"Alright, I know you're concerned, Marcus, but try not to think of the worst scenario before we know more ok?"

Just then the screen in front of them starts showing more info.

"Flight AA784 from LAX to JFK. Boeing 727. No survivors. Cause of crash unknown at present."

"Oh God..."

And by reflex, he grabs Abby who is standing next to him with her hand on his shoulder, and wraps his arms tight around her, hiding his face against her belly, breathing hard, shaking slightly.

She pulls him to her, and buries her hands into his hair.

"Marcus, please, try not to get ahead of yourself. There are so many flights out of LAX, come on! Chances are nothing has happened to Callie. Chances are she is so busy at work that she has no idea you are worried sick. Please, Marcus, hope is everything."

He nods against her stomach, still not looking up, and snuggles even closer, seeking comfort in her strength. She's still standing , he's still sitting , and the entire population of the newsroom is looking at them, concerned, but not knowing what to say.

"Thank god Octavia is unaware of all this, and I told her to stay at Vera's today !"

" Yes, there is no need to tell her anything because we don't know...Now, give me your phone, I'm gonna keep calling her until she picks up."

" If she can..."

"When she can! I'll leave a message. Have you already?"

He finally lets her go, and looks up.

" No, I didn't want to sound too panicky..."

" Alright, I get that. I'm leaving a message if you don't mind..."

He gets up, hands her his phone, and motions to the stairs.

" I'm going back to my office, I need to keep busy and there's a bunch of things that came up, I'm gonna pretend I'm interested for a while, take my mind off things, ok?"

" Yes ok, I'll join you the second we hear something."

Once he's gone, she clears her throat, then almost barks.

" Guys, I need everyone on the plane crash at the moment. Indra, you are the only one here in charge of whatever might come up in the rest of the news. Everyone else, I need a statement from American Airlines, Jackson get on the phone with LAX, Raven, same with JFK, Nilah try to reach Callie's hotel chain bosses, everyone, this is personal for once, let us use the tools we have to find Callie. Report to me with any update, and thank you."

Walking to her office, she's waiting for her call to Callie to go through. It goes straight to voicemail as it did with Marcus earlier.

" Callie hi, this is Abby Griffin, we are all worried about you, please give Marcus a call as soon as you get this message. He's fine actually, in case you are unaware of the news. Please call back. Alright, I'll see you soon I hope."

She drops the phone on her desk and snorts, flipping her long hair to the side, a visible sign of her restlessness, mumbling to herself.

" Ugh, can this day get any worse...I should have stayed in bed..."

But then she has a change of heart, grabs the phone, her coffee, and turns back to head upstairs to Marcus' office.

On her way, she yells.

" Guys, I'm going to be with Marcus if you're looking for me..."


	3. Be there for you

3- Be there for you.

She softly knocks on his door, waits for his "come in", then for the second time today, flops on his couch, only this time he's sitting there too. He looks at her and smiles a sad smile.

"Not the best day of our lives so far, right?"

"Right! But it's only temporary, everything is gonna be ok in the end, you'll see."

"Abby Griffin, forever the optimist! I love that about you..."

"No actually, it's Abby Griffin, forever realistic. Until we get bad news, we assume all is fine… Well, considering it still remains a tragedy, but I refuse to turn it into a personal one until we get the facts!"

"Oh Abby, the wait is the worst, you know… Could we fast forward this day?"

"Alright, let me go get my magic wand, I left it in my purse..."

He smiles and looks into her eyes, suddenly all soft and emotional.

"Abby, I'm so glad you are here... I don't deserve a friend like you!"

She smiles back and grabs his hand.

"Careful, Marcus Kane, you are stealing my lines… I might need them back sooner or later..."

He brings their joined hands to his lips and kisses her knuckles.

"Seriously though... Thank you!"

She lets go of his hand then, and tenderly cups his jaw in her palm.

"Hey, it's gonna be over soon, okay? She's gonna call and ask what's with the commotion, and then we'll move on, take a deep breath and go on with our day, even if it is sucking for sure, no matter what..."

He lays his face against her palm, closing his eyes and sighing.

"I hope you're right! They should be releasing the passenger list too, that means the families would get to know first, right? I never actually thought about that... Does the airline call the next-of-kin before releasing the list to the press?"

"That's a good question… I think they call the families first, granted they were provided with an emergency contact..."

"Well I would!"

But they are interrupted by the ringtone of his phone on the desk. They look at each other, questions in her eyes, terror in his, until he gets up to grab his phone, looks at the screen… The picture of his wife is showing, and he breathes a sigh of relief, sliding the green icon to answer.

"Callie?"

"Marcus, hey what's going on? I just turned my phone on and there are forty-three missed calls from you? Has something happened to Octavia? Are you ok?"

"Where the hell have you been all morning?"

"At work, what do you think? On top of this gigantic scaffold that was supposed to be removed a week ago and is still there because this damn construction site is giving us problem after problem. I was gonna call you actually, to say that there is no way I can leave at all this week, I'm aiming for the weekend, but even that is iffy... What's wrong? I mean, for God's sake, forty-three missed calls, Marcus! My heart almost stopped!"

"Well, that makes two of us then!! I was going crazy all morning! O is fine, everyone is fine, a plane crashed from LAX, and until this minute I thought you might be on that flight… We still have no further information, and your phone was off, so the more time passed the more I was convinced it was off because you were up there in the clouds and then crashed!"

"Oh.... Jesus.... Marcus I’m so sorry, I had no idea! But you know when I'm at work on a site I rarely have my phone with me..."

"No actually, I don't know! We don't really call each other at work, do we? So how was I supposed to know?"

"Oh come on, don't be ridiculous, you could have figured it out!"

"How the hell was I supposed to do that? Look into my crystal ball? And forgive me for being concerned about you! Oh for God's sake, please let's not pick a fight right now, ok? Just… Be safe, and let us know when we should expect you to be home, that's all."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, honey! I understand you were scared for me… Sorry, I'm just way too disconnected with everything at the moment, had I heard about the crash, I would have called you right away..."

"Yeah, well, sorry for freaking out! I'm just glad this is all over and that you’re safe and sound. Anyway, I've got to go, talk to you later maybe?"

"Sure! Love you!"

"Love you too! Bye!"

He drops the phone on the desk, sitting on the edge of it, and breathes a sigh of relief.

"End of the nightmare… Holy cow, what a morning!"

He looks blankly at Abby, obviously lost in his thoughts, until she gets up from the couch and approaches him, gently squeezing his arm.

"Yes, all is well, what did I say earlier? Are you ok? Do you need a minute or should we go down and see if something new came up, and check on the bulletin that we'll need to be releasing soon?"

He pushes himself away from the desk and nods.

"Yes, it's time to resume our normal routine, so to speak, let's go!"

So she turns around and heads to the door, but just before she opens it she feels his arms wrap around her waist and he briefly pulls her to him and kisses her hair.

"Abby… Thank you so much… You were my rock this morning, I'll never forget it..."

She turns her face to look at him, a big smile on her face, trying to hide how soft this suddenly makes her feel.

"You're welcome, and that's what friends are for, right? Now, get moving, boss!"

Downstairs, they are rather silently working on the new info that seems to now be pouring out of the screens and the printers. Jackson is running from one post to the other, gathering everything, and Bellamy on the corner desk is furiously hitting the keyboard of his computer, his fingers flying over the letters at the speed of light.

"Everyone, thank you for your concern and your efficiency! My wife is safe and sound and working like a dog, oblivious to the rest of the universe! So now, update me with all you've gathered so we can plan the day ahead. Has Pike already sent a message giving us the go for a special news flash or not?"

"No, Big boss has shown no sign of life, yet! Do you want me to give him a call? The list has just been released, so have the emergency numbers, so if Abby's ready, we can go live any moment!"

"Alright, thanks Bell, I'll call Charles myself. Abby can you go to make up real fast? Bell, can you go with her and brief her, she didn't get anything done, but it is all my fault, she was taking care of me, and I was hard work, so a little help here now would be much appreciated!"

"Sure thing, Abby let's go!"

"Alright, Indra, call camera crew, I'll call Pike from the control room, let's pretend we're going on air within the next 15 minutes, can we do that, people?"

They all yell their agreement at the same time, and there it goes, the newsroom instantly turns into a buzzing workplace again. Walking past him, Jackson whispers with a smile:

"Welcome back, boss, glad everything turned up good for you in the end!"

Marcus smiles and nods, then on his way to the control room surveys the scene with a small smile, suddenly feeling a surge of pride and love towards his beautiful team. How lucky is he to have such a great group of people around him! Not only are they talented and efficient at their job, but they care deeply for one another, and he knows they can trust each other with their lives, they are reliable and loving and selfless, and today once again they proved he could count on them to not falter and take charge when need be.

An hour later, they wrap the special edition and all breathe a sigh of relief. Truth be told, none of them enjoy this specific part of their job, they'd rather focus on political facts and events than on human tragedies, they all loathe being the bearers of bad news that affect the population on an emotional level, but it is unfortunately a part of their job, so Bell and Abby grit their teeth and try to remain as factual as possible in order to not show sorrow or break down as they mention the list of passengers and the hotline numbers for the families...

"They're great. They find the right tone, they're gracious and seem empathetic enough, but not on the teary side. Abby looks tired though..."

Marcus tears his eyes away from her, eyeing Charles in disbelief.

"She IS tired! Do you have any idea what our morning was, down here? It drained the energy out of us all, and I personally used some of hers to get through the morning. So please refrain from addressing it in front of her, I know how brisk you can be, and I know it’s your role as the owner of this place, but just for today, give her a break! Please!"

Pike raises an eyebrow.

"Okayyyy... You don't need to worry, I'll be an angel to her. Truth is, it is not that bad anyway, and we all know and love Abby! I was just... Talking to myself, I suppose? And before you say it, I KNOW she is not just a pretty face, I know I can't make any kind of remarks that would be seen as sexist, and I know you care about her and will defend her no matter what..."

"I pride myself in having a realistic and neutral vision of my team, and this applies to Abby as well. If at any moment she fails my expectations, or yours, I will be the first person to get on her case. But right now she is just as brilliant as ever, and you might expect a little tiredness now and then, on heavy weeks, and to be honest I really believe it is a good thing for us to remain humans on camera, it actually brings some sort of empathy to the audience, you know? Bellamy and Abby looking like they are human and being visibly affected by life around them bring them closer to their viewers; At least that is my own vision of the whole thing."

"My my, aren't we touchy today! Alright alright, I guess you have good reason to be, but just do not turn one innocent sentence into a soap opera..."

They stare at each other for a second, like two roosters ready for a fight, and abruptly the atmosphere changes, and they burst out laughing.

"Oh wow, I think I am more drained than I thought, I'm sorry Charles old man, I got carried away..."

"That's fine, Marcus, I was tactless and out of line. All is well! Bottom line, this bulletin was a good call, and you guys handle these types of emergency situations perfectly. Your team is great, Marcus, I trust them, and you! So try to get some rest before shit happens again, and friendly advice, get the doll there.... Sorry, SORRY I did NOT just call Abby a doll, so sexist, so sexist, I hear you, don't say it! (laughs) Anyway, what I wanted to say is, take care of her, she's strong, but there is only so much a person can take, and women are generally much better at hiding their stress than men, until they just break down. Trust a man with 3 wonderful and strong ex-wives on this! Don't let her over exhaust herself, we all need her fit as a fiddle for the months to come!"

Marcus looks at him with a glint in his eyes.

"Look who's turning things into a soap opera now!!! You seem to forget Abby is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and she would probably bite half of my head off if I just but told her to rest because she looked tired! I mean, the woman is fierce!"

"Three ex wives, Marcus! Three! Sometimes we forget that they like being pampered even if their mouth say the perfect opposite. Don't be fooled!"

"You realize she has a husband, right, and his name is Jake Griffin, not Marcus Kane? Maybe you should talk to him?"

Why is Charles Pike looking at him as if he knows something Marcus does not? Both remain silent for a bit, Pike looking into Marcus' eyes, as if trying to read something that is not there. Then he shrugs slightly and heads to the door.

"Right, maybe I should... Maybe you should address that subject with her too, I don't know… It's really none of my business anyway..."

"Wait! Hold on a minute, what are you trying to say? What is it you are not telling me?"

"Just… Nothing, but I have a feeling that… No, not my place to say really..."

"Charles! You can't back up now, you have said too much, or not enough, come on now!"

"You know for a journalist you are pretty dense sometimes… Talk to your daughter about Jake, if you don't want to talk to Abby, O might have heard things from Clarke, just like I did when she was with us this summer at the beach house… And. That is ALL I am gonna say on the subject! Goodbye Marcus, and keep me in the loop when stuff comes up, either on the reasons of this damn crash, or on the Trump administration, or any emergency that might come up."

Pike shuts the door of the control room, leaving Marcus alone with his thoughts. What the hell just happened? Is there something wrong between Abby and her husband? He doesn't really know Jake, he came to the team parties a few times and was very nice and cordial, and he seemed to adore his wife and vice versa. Granted, now that he plays back images in his head, they never seemed to be very demonstrative nor physically affectionate in public, but neither is he with Callie actually, so he promptly discards that thought as relevant. When he, Callie and Octavia went to the Griffin's house in upstate New York only last 4th of July, everything seemed fine between them. Right? Right? He tries to rummage through his memories of that day. They spent some time apart, Callie and Abby lying on the lounge chairs by the pool, and the men drinking their beer in the shade, then each had their own tasks around dinner, when the rest of the guests showed up. They seemed fine then, the kids were doing their thing, playing with the family's three dogs, picking the eggs from the hen's house, and running after the two cats who do not really like strangers in their home... The adults were drinking and joking around, wait… Right, at one point something did catch his eye though, now that he remembers...They seemed to have some kind of "fight", or disagreement really, about Abby's hair... Despite the heat that night, Jake insisted on her keeping her long hair loose, whereas she wanted it up in a messy bun on top of her head. He kept pushing and pushing until she eventually gave up and let it lose, and truly it wasn't a big deal, except that in retrospect, there was nothing remotely cute or affectionate about it, and didn't Abby give up with tears in her eyes that night? Wasn't it the moment she discreetly escaped to go get something in the kitchen? And wasn't Clarke a little over protective of her at one point in the night? No, the Abby he knows and admires and loves would come up to him if there was an issue with her husband, surely. Wait, why would she, though, she might not want to bother anyone, also she is probably perfectly capable of dealing with Jake herself. He decides not to address the situation with her, but to pay closer attention to her in the future, starting now. As he is walking back to his team, he's hit with a flashback: Abby flopping on his couch at seven am this morning, looking distraught and pale. Her overreacting to his feeble attempt at a joke. Damn, he then became so immersed in his own problems that he already forgot all about it until now!

He actually runs right into her, immersed in his thoughts, as she is coming out of the studio.

"Umpf! Wow tiger, where are you heading to so fast?"

He looks down at her, realizing suddenly that out of reflex he has wrapped her in his arms to keep her from falling down from the impact. Her hands are on his chest, she is not pushing him away, and is looking at him with laughter in her eyes.

"Err, hmm, I was actually on my way to your office! Sorry I wasn’t paying attention..."

"That's alright, no harm done! You didn't even step on my toes, so..."

And more shyly, she whispers:

"Maybe you can let me go now? Before we make fools of ourselves?"

He freezes, they haven't moved an inch yet, then suddenly, instead of letting go, he’s crushing her against him, one arm wrapped tighter around her waist and one around her shoulders, and bends a little to hide his face in her neck, rocking them a little on their feet.

"Abby, Abby, I'm so glad you are here! I hate this morning, all of this morning, I want this day to end, but... You know you can count on me, right? For everything and anything! Right? You know that? Anytime!"

Her face is crushed on his chest, so he can't see the way she closes her eyes, but he can feel her tense at first at his words, then she slowly softens and seems to melt against him. She slowly slides her arms around him too, holding him closer, right there in the middle of the newsroom, oblivious to Jackson rolling his eyes, to Indra gaping at them, to Nylah shaking her head and going back to studying her screen...

"I know… I know Marcus, and ..Thank you… I'm afraid there's nothing you can do, but if need be.. .I know you're here for me..."

As he's registering that new piece of info she just dropped on him, Raven walks around them on her way out and says:

"Hey lovebirds, I don't know… Get a room? Or maybe get to work? Kane, we need you to grant us with a plan for the rest of the day... Right now, I'm doing a sandwich run. Anyone wants me to grab something?"

The newsroom that was holding a general breath after Raven's funny, but somehow inappropriate outburst, lets go and starts erupting with shouts and laughs and sounds of coins and notes being exchanged, leaving Marcus and Abby looking at each other in shock, speechless for once, until he realizes they are still locked in their embrace, and he hastily lets his arms drop to his side with a little embarrassed cough.

"I'm sorry about that Abby, Raven is an idiot, how dare she..."

"Raven's a kid with a mouth the size of the Empire State Building, you know it, I know it, everybody knows it! It's quite funny actually, it released the tension in the room for everyone, I think. So ..."

She shrugs and seems to take the situation lightly, but he can't help but notice how flushed her cheeks are suddenly, and… Damn yes, she's hot… He shakes himself out of his stupor. Get a grip, Kane, she is out of reach, you are both married and when did this type of thought towards Abby start exactly? There's a new little devilish voice in his head, appearing out of nowhere, that whispers in his ear:

"Have you noticed how perfectly she fits into your arms? Have you noticed how her body is strong and yet soft and how thin she is and yet your hand fits perfectly in the curve of her waist? Did you like how she smells of spring and summer, how soft her hair is against your cheek, and how her breath syncs with yours the second she is flush against your chest?"

"Stop!!!"

She frowns at him.

"Stop? I haven't said anything, Marcus, what's wrong?"

"Oh, err, sorry, yes yes, I know, I was just telling my stupid brain to shut up, sorry if I said that out loud! Damn I must be really tired, and it’s only two pm!!!"

"Yeah well, we all talk to our brains sometimes, it does make us look like idiots though, you know that right? Alright, let's get back to work."

"Sure, you were really good out there with Bell, I just came to tell you that in the first place, but got… ahem… distracted. Okay, let me go and make a tentative schedule for up until tonight's news at ten."

"Ok, I'm taking this make up off and going out to grab a bite to eat. You want anything?"

"Yeah, grab me whatever you're having, that will be fine, thanks."

As he goes up the stairs, she retrieves her purse from her office and heads to Echo's room before going to the Chinese takeout next door.

She comes back with a bag full of little boxes smelling of spices and pepper. Just when she's about to go upstairs, she sees Raven looking at her, with a little wink in her eyes.

"What? Are you gonna lecture me about the dangers of man-woman friendship? Because I can provide you with plenty of examples ..."

"You want to convince me, Abs? Or yourself?"

"Are you mocking me, Raven? You know I do love Marcus, as much as I love you or Jackson or Bellamy. Turns out it might look different to you, just because we are two old people, in the same age bracket, and immediately your mind, which is filled with clichés, cannot process the fact that two older people of the opposite sex can be platonic friends and touch and hug without it ending in the bedroom!"

"Look Abby, I see the point you're trying to make, but just ask yourself… Aren't you a tiny bit attracted to him? Or this: Isn't he a tiny bit attracted to you?"

"God Raven, you ARE sounding like a schoolgirl right now, come on! Trust me when I say I never asked myself the question because there is no answer needed. And just in case you've forgotten this "tiny" detail, both of us are married, Raven, Ma-rried.. So your statement might be considered a little… offensive and shocking, if I didn't know you like I do, and I know that you are a good person and you just enjoy teasing. Still, please do me or us for that matter, a favor, and drop it? "

Much to Abby's surprise, and she instantly makes a mental note to put this day on her list, Raven blushes, and everyone here knows Raven never ever blushes, so she surely has hit a nerve here.

"Oh right… I feel like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar… Please accept my apology, I'm glad you know I didn't mean any harm, but yes, I see your point, I do, and from now on I will shut it! I'm sorry if I embarrassed you guys, it was just a little joke. And… You guys look great together, so comfortable, you know? I hope I do have a friendship like that when I grow up!"

Abby bursts out laughing.

"Oh my, Raven, you are such a clown! I'm gonna take this growing up thing as a compliment, okay? Now, is it safe for me to go upstairs and share my lunch with my friend AND boss, with no snide remarks behind our back?"

Raven laughs too, although uncomfortably somehow...

"It is! Absolutely! I'm actually gonna start a club for "praising friendship between men and women"... By the way Abs, just for the record, you do know the best friends make the best lovers, right? No!! No, don't answer that, I'm leaving and will never talk about it ever again!"

Walking up the stairs, Abby doesn't even turn around, but growls.

"Yeah, I'm sure you won't... Again: Drop it Raven..."

She opens his door without knocking, and spreads the boxes on the small table facing the couch.

"God Raven is a workout, isn’t she!"

"I know right? She has this ability to make a big deal out of any tiny detail… I’m just glad this talent of hers is actually very useful when the time comes to decipher some of those files that are thrown our way. That is the reason why I let her get away with her mocking...That and the fact that she wouldn't hurt a fly! She’s a good person."

"So is everyone in this team! We’re very lucky!"

Then they eat in a comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts, and seeking comfort in each other's presence to keep the morning as far away from their minds as possible.


	4. I just want to touch you...

  
  


4- I just want to touch you

Later in the day they are all gathered around the main meeting room table, sharing info and insights on the news and deciding as a group on the run-up of the "News at 10" bulletin. Once it is vouched by Marcus, Abby and Bellamy, they all part ways to each get ready for their different tasks. While they’re all gathering up their papers and iPads, Marcus just says:

"Anyone volunteering to stay all night? I don't think we all need to stay here tonight, thank God, but still I'd like someone to keep watch, just in case, you know..."

Abby and Nylah both nod, but Marcus raises an eyebrow.

"Oh no, absolutely not Abby. You are not doing this, you really need to go home and rest, it's been too much today.... I'm sure everyone understands I need someone else to take your place."

Raven raises her hand immediately, and Marcus nods.

"Thanks Raven, Nylah, now everyone, on your marks, let's make a great show again!"

Once again that night, Marcus is standing in front of the control panels, and is admiring how Bell and Abby are easily flowing between the bad and the better news that the world has had to offer today.

She drags herself out of her office as he's going down the stairs. They're both heading home and they're both exhausted.

"Oh I just want to lie down and sleep. I didn't even bother taking my make-up off, I'm gonna look like a hooker on the train, but who cares really..."

"Do you want a ride? I drove this morning..."

"Oh, would you? That would be awesome actually, I'm so... drained."

"No problem, let's go then. Bye Raven, bye Nylah, try to get some rest, use those damn beds that I bought, I'm serious!"

The second Abby sits in the car, her eyes close and she falls asleep immediately. They haven't even left the parking lot before she starts snoring lightly, which makes Marcus smile fondly. At the first red light, he turns to her, and checks she isn't cold, lightly brushing her hand with his fingers. He grabs a blanket that's lying on the back seat, and covers her with it. It's a little chilly for mid-October, and the last thing he wants is for her to get sick because his stupid car doesn't have a fast heating system. She half wakes up when she feels his hands around her, and smiles a little lazy smile, whispering her thank you, then falls right back into slumber. She untied her long hair as soon as she left the recording studio, and it’s now falling on her face like a long golden curtain. He reaches to brush it away from her beautiful features, but stops mid air and sighs. "Fuck, dude - the little voice sniggers- " You ARE falling in love with her..." " Shut up, I am certainly not, I really care about her, that's all." " Oh yes, you can always tell yourself that, but deep down you know it isn't the truth..." " It is the truth, we've had a long and stressful day, and I'm doing what I need to do… She was there for me today, and I was a complete ass earlier, so the least I can do is make sure that never happens again." "...Right..." " Oh, enough! We've always touched, we've always hugged, why do you think there's a difference now?" " Exactly! why?..."

Marcus groans and turns the radio on, on low volume, just to try and distract his stupid brain from going places he doesn't wish to explore.

He finally stops in front of her house, and still, she doesn't bat an eyelid… He smiles softly, he's a little sad that he needs to wake her up, she seems so comfortable, nestled under the blanket, her features soft and relaxed. Finally, he gently grabs her shoulder, and gently shakes her out of sleep.

"Hey, sleepy head, it's time to go hit that comfy pillow and large bed..."

She opens her eyes, he can see it takes her a good second to figure where she is, then she smiles at him and slowly disentangles herself from the blanket.

"Oh Marcus I'm so sorry, I wanted to keep you company while you were driving, but look at me, I guess I failed, didn't I? Are you gonna be okay to drive home? You can crash here if you want, we have a guest room, you know."

"Thanks, but I need to go home, I need a change of clothes for tomorrow anyway, and I don't want to bother you and Jake. Chances are tomorrow morning could be the last morning we spend in our respective homes, so at least you can enjoy one breakfast with your better half."

He doesn't notice how she suddenly looks into space, her breath caught in her throat. But she promptly shakes herself out of it and turns to him again.

"Yeah, right, okay then…. Although I… Well, never mind, I guess you're right... So I'll see you tomorrow then. Text me when you get home? So I know you got there safe, I believe we've had enough scare for the day, don't you think?"

And on impulse, and before he has a chance to answer she lays closer to him, places a hand on his cheek and drops a little kiss on his other one, barely touching the corner of his mouth. As soon as he feels her lips on his cheek, it's over, and she's gone and out the door. She turns back to him once she reaches the house and waves at him with a little smile and disappears inside. He remains frozen in place, unable to tear his gaze away from where she was standing a second earlier, and the voice starts again... 

" Teeeheee....You liar extraordinaire, look at you! A school boy on a first date! Ha ha ha ha, look at you!" " Oh shut up, she simply caught me by surprise, we hug, we hold hands, I kiss her hair, but she's never kissed my cheek before..." “She has kissed your cheek before, you hopeless romantic… So tell me something, what changed?” “ What is this supposed to mean?” "My point is...She might have a soft spot for you too..." " Get out of my head, you're being ridiculous!" " If you say so..."

He shakes his head, starts the car again and drives the 20 minutes to home in complete silence, but refusing to let his mind wander.

He needs to shower, he needs to rest, he needs to call Callie and have a more civilized conversation with her, he needs to get ready for the rest of the week ahead of him, he needs to be in top form and set an example for his team. But first and foremost, he needs to stop thinking about Abby in a way that creates butterflies in his stomach...

Morning comes, and Kane is the first person to get to work and meet Raven, who looks all fresh and well rested.

"Good morning Raven, you definitely don't look like you stayed up all night!"

" That's because I didn't, nothing was happening to be honest, so I went to bed, on the ones courtesy of my beloved and caring boss, and told Indra to wake me up when she felt herself fading, which only happened a couple of hours ago, so all in all I had a good night sleep! How about you?"

" I'm fine and well-rested too, thank you."

"Did you talk to your wife?"

" Yes, yes I did. She's fine...Oblivious to all this drama I guess...Alright, send me a summary of what's happened so far, and I'll go from there. I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me. And if nothing else, please notify me once everyone is here."

He turns his computer on, and quickly surveys the several documents that were sent all through the night, then reads through Raven's summary, all the while making notes on his paper pad next to the computer, a remnant of his previous career as a newspaper editor. His cell phone blinks with a new incoming text. Raven. " Team complete."

He gets up, grabs his note pad and his IPad, and calls for anyone in the meeting room. They all sit around the massive table, and before the door shuts, Bellamy and Abby enter in a hurry, as the last persons in the room.

" Good morning everyone! So today, I'm gonna need a change of tactics in order to get ahead of what should be happening with the White House. Whoever has a source at the Democrats, the republicans, inside the house, anywhere really, I want you to activate your networks now. Meanwhile, I still need someone to put together what we have gathered so far about yesterday's crash, and of course leave out all the sensationalism, we are not Fox news, remember! Actually, Abby, can you do that? I trust you to know exactly what to say and not to say, and if you could also pick the footage you feel is decent to show, it would be awesome!"

She looks up from her IPad and quickly nods.

" Of course. Are we looking at a 12 minute slot? From one commercial break to the next?"

" That's perfect, granted we can fill the other 3 slots up."

" Alright, so maybe I can start working on that, and as the day progresses, come up with a second slot in case nothing happens fast enough in the political world."

" That's a great idea, thanks!"

She looks at him and smiles her radiant smile at him, but he can't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes, that were definitely not there last night. He holds her gaze for a while longer, trying not to show concern but implicitly telling her he's right here if need be, then turns to Jackson.

" Alright, next, Eric, what's going on with your source at the vice president cabinet?"

" I'm still waiting for her to return my call. She texted me she would as soon as she hears something, I don't want to push too much, but I'm confident she will do it."

" Okay then, but meanwhile why not try to look at other possibilities in the same area. Anyone has something they'd like to share?"

The rooms erupts in a flow of words, hands rising, ideas, propositions, statements, and a lot of writing and scribbling. Kane is sailing on top of it all, doing what he does best, managing his team, organizing their thoughts into a constructive plan of action. Abby can't help but watch him work. He looks so comfortable and confident and in tune with everyone, she feels a surge of admiration and affection for him suddenly, and that is quite new...She's always been in awe of his talent, yes, but never really acknowledged what it meant to her until now. She realizes suddenly, this man makes her feel good. Because he trusts them all, trusts her, because he is strong and positive and smart and caring. Because he listens, because he feels, because he loves. His job, his people, his life.

She's shaken out of her reverie by everyone standing up and spreading out towards their respective spots. She stands up last, and by the time she's gathered her stuff, she feels his hand on her waist. As usual, he drops a little kiss on top of her head.

" Abby, you're good?"

" Good morning Marcus. Yes thank you, I'm fine. You? Did you get to talk to Callie under more normal circumstances?"

" Oof, yeah, well... Sometimes she makes me wonder if she lives on our planet, you know? She still does not get why the commotion yesterday. On one hand I'm glad it didn't make her feel bad, I mean she works her ass off and she doesn't need extra concerns, but it would be nice sometimes to feel that she cares about me and our daughter especially when she is away...I should be used to it by now, but sometimes I just wish...Hey, look at me, the chatterbox! Anyway.... You got some quality time with Jake?"

She looks down for a second, then back up with a little smile he can't really read.

" I got ... Time with him yes. He was asleep when I got home last night, and he wasn't very happy that I woke him up, but...Same as you I guess, maybe we live on a different planet, not them? Then this morning, he...Ugh, never mind...Alright, I need to get started on my assignment, boss! I'll see you later?"

" Sure! Lunch together? "

" Yes! Come down just before lunch time and so you will be able to check what I've come up and vouch for it, or not. But hopefully you will. I do want lunch!"

He bursts out laughing.

" Oh I'm sure you will be amazing! And I won't risk you having to chop my head off for lunch if I disagree with what you've done!"

Stepping away from her, he turns back before leaving the room.

" Abby, you know I trust you right? "

She smiles.

" I do..."

" And... Do you trust me?"

She smiles bigger.

" I do..."

They lock eyes.

" Good...I'll see you later then!"

The morning goes by, nothing leaks from the politicians or their entourage, no matter how hard Jackson, Bell and the others try; So Abby starts working on her second slot, the 1st one already wrapped. There's a knock on her door and Marcus comes in.

" Hey, how is it going? Are you done?"

" Am I ever in this job? But part one is done, yes, you want to check? Come see, I've even had time to PowerPoint everything."

He walks behind her desk, and bends towards her computer, one hand on the table and one holding the back of her chair. She shows him what she's come up with, everything looks clear and precise, but he frowns at one detail and points at it, getting closer to the screen.

" Wait, show this again? Where did you get this from?"

She pushes a few keys, and looks closer to the map he's pointing at, enlarging it on the screen.

"This? Oh, Nylah forwarded it to me last night, I thought it was relevant to insert it there, why, you d..."

She has turned to him in the last sentence, and is caught by surprise at how close he is. He has turned to her too, listening to her argument, and suddenly something shifts in the air. Her eyes have landed involuntarily on his lips, she can feel his breath on her face, and... Why is her heart beating faster suddenly? Why can't she avert her gaze and keep going with her question? Why does she feel the urge to lay her forehead against his mouth and wait for him to kiss his way down her lips? Wait... What? Where is this thought coming from? This is Marcus, for Heaven's sake, the man she has worked with for the past 2 years, the man she loves to challenge with her sharp and witty remarks, the man who respects and praises her skills and calls it talent, the man who knows with no words spoken when she needs space or when she wants people around, well most of the time anyway...She briefly closes her eyes and wills her breathing to go back to normal. What she has not realized is how affected Marcus is too. How his lips have parted the second she stopped talking, how his gaze has remained frozen on her eyes, how he seems to have read every question she just asked herself by simply staring at her, how he has oh so slowly leaned towards her, as if he indeed was going to kiss her. But what she ignores too, is the inner devilish voice that Marcus is fighting at the moment. The voice that's sniggering right this second: " Ha! See? See? Now tell me something, smartass, if this is not attraction, then what do you call it? Planning on writing an essay on the exact color of her eyes? How brown can brown be, do you think? Tell me you get that close to Bellamy when you guys work together...Now, get your act together, loverboy, she's expecting some sort of move, me thinks..."

He shakes himself out of his inner turmoil, and briskly moves away from her.

" I think it's perfect, actually, Abby! You did great, but how come I'm not surprised..."

She smiles at him, relieved, and not only because he's approving her work. He's probably saved her the embarrassment of rejection if she had suddenly decided on kissing him. Wait... What again? She wouldn't have kissed him. She cannot kiss Marcus Kane, it is wrong, for multiple reasons...She will not kiss Marcus Kane, she will not even THINK about it, enough! He is her co-worker and her friend, just like Bell, Raven or Jackson. Would she think about kissing Bell? Absolutely not! Raven? Nope. Jackson? of course not! Marcus? ... Marcus? NO for God's sake! Stop it Abby, you need to rest the next time you're home, not toss and turn, alone in your bed, not think over and over again about the mean things your husband says to you before slamming the door and going to sleep on the couch...

" So, I deserve lunch, is that what you're saying?"

" Yes ma'm, do you want to go someplace, or should we order takeout?"

"Let's get out of here, I can do with some fresh air!"

" Alright, let me see if chaos is under control , and then we go! Should we ask Bell if he wants to join us? I haven't had a light conversation with him in a while... Would you mind?"

" No, of course not! It's a great idea actually, we haven't really had time to socialize since the summer, have we?"

Deep down she is relieved to not be alone with him after the "incident" at the computer, even if a little part of her is disappointed, but she pushes the nagging feeling out of the way the second it assaults her. Little does she know that he is feeling the exact same thing , trying to convince himself that he just did the right thing, and shrugging off the insisting sound the devil makes in his brain, like a two-notes tune endlessly singing "Coooooo- waaaaard".

It feels good to be out in the October brisk air, and Bellamy and Marcus start a joyous bantering in front of her, and they laugh and joke like 2 kids fresh out of school. She had forgotten how these 2 hit it off, remembering that Bell told her once how Marcus took him under his wing ever since day one of his apprenticeship, which then turned into a real job, and ever since that day Bell would look at Marcus as a father figure and a friend over a boss. Suddenly they turn to her, and Marcus points a finger at her, and says with a glint in his eyes:

" Scarf, woman!"

" Excuse me?"

But he is already in her face and is wrapping the scarf that was hanging loosely on her shoulders around her neck.

" We don't want to risk losing the sexiest voice on TV because the woman owning it went out in the cold without protection!"

But somehow, the half joke, half compliment falls flat. She's looking at him with inexpressive eyes, then briskly pushes his hand out of the way, tying her scarf and tugging the ends into the collar of her coat.

" I can take care of myself, thank you!"

He's slightly taken aback, and Bellamy frowns.

" Oh I'm sorry, I know you can of course, I didn't mean to...hurt your feelings?"

She softens instantly and sighs, looking at her feet.

"I'm sorry too, I overreacted, it's just that..."

But she stops, shakes her head, looks up.

" Never mind... I'm sorry Marcus, I know you meant well. Shall we?"

Offering him a little smile of apology, she picks up the pace and ends up walking ahead of the two men.

Marcus frowns and looks at Bellamy, who is looking at Abby, sighing.

" Hey Bell, is there something wrong with Abby? Something that I should know? Every now and then, she gets into those moods, it doesn't seem to last though, but should I be concerned?"

Bellamy looks at him for what seems like a long time, but surely is not more than a mere second, then :

" Are you concerned about something that might affect her job? Because you know that out of us all, Abby is probably the most professional and passionate person, and she will never let anything or anyone come between her and her work."

" Oh no, I have no worries about that, I know she is! No, I'm actually concerned about her as a friend. Sometimes she just seems to zone out and become sad and ...Dare I say fragile? It is not a word that suits this woman though, I know, so I don't really know what to make of her ... moods... Do you think it's because Clarke left and she has a hard time adjusting? I know I am personally already dreading the day this will happen with Octavia, so I'm wondering..."

Bell remains silent for a bit, then sighs:

"Marcus… Does Abby ever mention Jake to you?"

"She does, but she never goes into detail about it, and I must say it’s never our main subject. Why, is something wrong with him?"

Bellamy is biting his lip, thinking.

"I get a feeling… I don't really know, but I don’t think they are exactly on the same page these days? She hasn’t talked to me about it, only one day I walked into her office unannounced, and she was crying. She made me promise not to tell anyone, she was embarrassed about it, you know Abby, she doesn't like to show any kind of weakness, but all she said was, and I quote: "Jake is being an ass." I tried to make her talk, yet she wouldn't say another word, but... I don't know, it looks like things have not improved since. And yes, she misses Clarke, but I don't think that’s the main reason, to be honest."

"Oh shit… I didn't realize... Anything I can do, do you think?"

"She trusts you, she really really does. And she likes you a lot. I suggest you be there for her, because I'm quite convinced that if there's a real problem or if she ever feels the need to talk, you would be the first person she turns to. In the meantime, just be kind to her, like you always are? But, my main advice is: Don't treat her like she is a fragile little thing, because that would make her feel defensive. She's used to being treated as one of the guys, she expects all of us to do so, and I'm not sure she would appreciate a change of behavior, you know?"

"She also has a very high level of resilience, so I'm sure she can deal with whatever life throws her way, look at how she handled the plane crash, and me, for that matter! So I trust her to be fine eventually, but I’ll keep my eyes open for sure. I hope life at home will get better soon for her..."

She's waiting for them at the door of the diner, raising an eyebrow at the slow pace they're walking.

" Are we planning on eating lunch before dinner time or what, guys?"

Lunch has a light tone between the three of them, they joke around and avoid talking about work, Abby and Bellamy laughing so hard at the stories about Octavia's latest adventures that Marcus tells them with many funny details. Bell goes on and on about life bringing up a twelve week old Labrador puppy in an apartment, and Abby raves about Clarke and her brilliant debut at college. Somehow all three of them manage to keep jokes flowing and have a relaxing meal, but Bell can see, without understanding why, Abby and Marcus meticulously avoiding each other's gaze, even though she steals most of Marcus' fries, even though he drinks half of her milkshake. What he can see though, is how Marcus stares at her when she's telling a story, as if she were the sun in the middle of a starless night, or how Abby seems totally entranced by him when he throws his head back and laughs at the jokes. They don't look at each other, and yet they are so, so attuned to each other that it’s almost embarrassing at times, making Bell feel like an intruder into their intimacy.

It's getting really chilly by the time they exit the diner, a cold breeze picking up, and when Marcus catches Abby shivering, he throws resistance to the wind, literally, and wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against his side.

“And before you object, let me just say this: There is no fat on this tiny body of yours to keep the cold away. So shut up and deal with the protective side of me."

She groans, but snuggles even closer, arms wrapped around herself, but her head almost on his shoulder.

"I am not _tiny_! And I was NOT going to say anything!"

"Oh yes you are so! And wow, I'll be sure to remember this: The great Abby Griffin falters when the winter wind picks up!"

"Ha ha, Kane, surely you can do better than this! May I say I am not impressed!"

Bellamy bursts out laughing.

"You guys! You sound like two overgrown children, seriously!"

Both Marcus and Abby smile at that, and finally look at each other. Of course there's affection between them, of course there's love, who are they fooling? They just decided, separately, that they can't, and won't act on it, that's all. They are adults, and capable of acting as such, they are friends first and foremost, they need each other and that's all there is.

Right?


	5. That couch, though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here's the new chapter...I have 10 more already written, and it keeps getting longer...So expect at least another 15 weeks of updates...I honestly didn't think it would be so long!!! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy, and thanks for reading!

!5- That couch though...  
Entering the newsroom, they can feel the atmosphere is gloomy, and people are not happy.  
"Boss, we’re bored! Nothing is leaking, nothing seems to be happening, our leads are getting us nowhere, God it's so unnerving!"  
Marcus smiles at that, because truth is that's what he likes with this group of people: They are all passionate about their job, and would rather work under pressure than sit around waiting to report the falling of the leaves in the fall, and the heat wave in the summer.  
"Don't worry guys, it is gonna happen… And I know you're ready... But it might mean we are getting a second quiet night, so hooray for that! Just try to enjoy another relatively normal day..."  
They all do, each getting ready for their night time program. Abby and Bell spend some time discussing the schedule and rhythm they are going to use on screen, then Bell goes upstairs to submit it to Marcus for approval.  
It goes by uneventfully, as always Marcus is in the control room surveying the whole hour, and marveling at the talent of his favorite duo, and when he comes out to send everyone home, because he has decided he will be the one standing guard this time, Abby has gone already, much to his surprise. Jackson just shrugs at the question.  
"She said she had a headache, so I offered to drive her home but she said she was fine with the train as long as she could leave right away... I thought she had told you."  
"Oh, maybe she did, she usually texts when she does that, and my phone is upstairs. Ok, goodnight everyone, I'll see you all in the morning bright and early. Keep your phones on in case anything requires you to get in earlier, please."  
He goes to his office, grabs his phone lying on the desk, and yes, there is a message from her.  
"Headache on its way. I'm going home, hope you don't mind. Call me if you do! Otherwise, have a good night and see you in the morning! X."  
He smiles at her usual "X", she always adds it to her messages, and he's always thought it was a cute thing to do.  
"No sweat, the world might survive unharmed for another night... Safe journey home and take care of yourself ok? Don't even come in early tomorrow, if something happens I will call you, otherwise enjoy a relaxing morning while you (still) can. M"  
For the 1st time, he uses the new mattress that he just blew up and tucked in the corner of his office. It's actually quite comfortable, and since neither Octavia nor Callie are there, he has no real reason to bother going home. Staring at the ceiling, his thoughts go to Abby and Jake. He hopes all is fine, he tries to convince himself that she would come to him if she needed solace. And that's when the devilish voice rings in his brain uninvited, as usual. "That's what she did, you idiot! But you were as sensitive as a fridge door, and what did you do? - Aren't you looking cheerful today - Way to go, champion!" "Shut up, how was I supposed to know? Abby never shows weakness!" "It's not weakness, dumbass, it's emotion! You weren't paying attention, admit it for once!" "Alright, alright, I was taken aback I suppose... Now shut up and go away!”  
Somehow he has a good night sleep, and wakes up at six, everything is still fairly quiet, so he walks to the bathroom downstairs, next to the makeup room, and takes a long shower, enjoying listening to the building slowly come to life. With fresh clothes on, he exits the bathroom, and almost runs into Indra.  
"Hi Indra, so that you know nothing happened so far, so I'm just heading out for breakfast, text me if anything..."  
On his way to the Starbucks at the corner of the block, he messages his daughter.  
"Hey kiddo, hope all is well with grandma, call me when you get a chance! Miss you! Love. Dad."  
She calls him right back.  
"O? What are you doing up so early?"  
"Hi Dad! I'm happy to hear from you too! I have class at eight, but I needed to finish an assignment before, because this part-time internship is making my schedule at school heavier, somehow! Anyway, how are you? Have you heard from Mom?"  
"I'm happy to hear you, baby girl! I talked to your mother yesterday morning, she's fine and busy, but what else is new, right? She might be home this weekend, but I don't think she'll be able to stay longer than that."  
He can hear the overly dramatic sigh his daughter makes.  
"Oh, no… That means I'm moving almost permanently to Grandma's? My life sucks! Dad, have you talked to Abby?"  
"Yes, O, I have! This is what I do for a living, remember? Talk to Abby? Talk to Bell, talk to the people I work with..."  
"No, dad, I meant, have you talked to Abby? Has she mentioned anything about me?"  
"Not that I recall, no… Should I point out that the universe does NOT revolve around Octavia Kane? In case you might have forgotten..."  
"Ha, smart, Dad, very smart, thank you… I do know the universe doesn't care about me, actually, starting with my own MOTHER, for God's sake!"  
"O, language! And your mother does care about you, just like I do, she's just very busy, and you know that, so stop whining like a baby!"  
"I am not whining like a baby, Marcus, I am whining like a teenager! Do you think Abby would adopt me if I asked politely? I mean, look at her and Clarke, they are soooo close, I love it! And yet she is not the perfect image of a non busy woman, right? So how come she still finds time for her daughter, AND for me, when my own mom doesn't seem to give a shit?"  
"Octavia Blake, watch your language!!! Or I might want to ground you!"  
"I am already grounded Dad, I'm at grandma's, remember? I love grandma, but I do feel grounded though... Why can't I stay at home on my own?"  
"We already had that conversation, baby, I'm sorry, you're a little too young still."  
"Tell you what. Why don't you marry Abby? This way I would have a real mom and since you guys work together you could take turns to stay at the office while the other comes home at night, and you'd still see plenty of each other, and I could stay in my own house, in my own room with my own bed, and see my own friends after school..."  
"... Octavia... Where is this coming from? You watch too much Hallmark, I swear! You are such a kid! Have you forgotten Abby is married? And so am I? And, also, one minor detail, why would I want to marry her? And why would she me?"  
"Dad! Get a clue! You want to marry her because she’s your best friend and that's what people do; look at Hallmark, the best marriages are between long-time friends turned lovers! You can divorce mom, it's not like you guys have a close relationship anyway anymore, I mean, she's never there, and when she is, you're suddenly busier than usual, come on, don't deny it, I do live with you guys, and I'm not blind or stupid… And Abby doesn't love Jake. Jake doesn't love Abby. He's mean to her. He doesn't deserve her. He's jealous of her. And the list goes on. Come on Dad, I talked to Clarke, I know better."  
Marcus is speechless for a long time. When did his little kid suddenly grow up so much? Sure, she still carries that freshness and innocence a child can have stating facts and dropping a bomb at parents' feet, unabashed, but... She's right. Dare he admit… She has seen things and felt things that even he struggles to come to terms with. But...  
"Octavia Kane, we are NOT having this conversation now! And I don't want you to be mean to your mom, she loves you more than anything in the world, and I don't want you to mind the Griffin's business; Please do not turn into a nosy teenager, stick to Hallmark, but don't think it’s real life!"  
"Dad, I know mom loves me… But does she love you?"  
"Octavia!!! Please stop. Again, I am not discussing this with my own daughter today!"  
"Whatever dad! Ok, I have to go, you take care ok? And please come pick me up as soon as you can!"  
"Love you baby! Bye!"  
Ok, so his morning is not starting exactly how he had envisioned it… It seems every time he wants to forget about Abby, something or someone brings her right back to the center of his attention.  
He grabs his breakfast to go, and slowly walks back to work, enjoying the cold breeze and the bright sun on his face, and the few extra moments where all is calm and relatively silent around him.  
Entering the building, he is met by a very laid back team. It's the calm before the storm, he can feel it, but why not let everyone enjoy that moment. This is why they are all so good, they know when to be hype but they also learned patience, and when to protect their energy and not pace for too long or for no reason. He stays by the door, unseen, and watches them interact with a smile on his face. Raven, the bundle of energy, is bent over Nylah's shoulder, laughing at the pictures she is looking at on the screen, Eric, silent, engrossed in reading an actual newspaper, Bellamy and Indra, laughing like children, tears in their eyes, Abby seating on Indra's desk watching them with a big smile. He realizes how much he cares about them all, feeling a surge of affection rise in him. There is no place he'd rather be than right here today, so he steps in, announcing his presence. Raven sees him first, and waves at him. He greets them all, wanders from one to the other and vaguely checks the screens and the notes (without really paying attention, but just pretending he's double checking everything, because that's what bosses do...) calls for a meeting for the following hour, and ends his steps by Indra's desk.  
"You all had a good night’s rest?"  
"What about you? How was that bed in your office?  
"Guess what, Bell, it is actually quite comfy! And nothing happened, so all was so quiet, maybe even quieter than at home, you know, life with a teenager who never wants to go to sleep..."  
"Oh, Marcus, enjoy life with a teenager while you can, I miss it so much already! I swear they grow up too fast!"  
Marcus turns to her, she is still smiling, fondly this time, but there is a hint of sadness in her eyes. And again, he notices the dark circles under her beautiful chestnut eyes, and it worries him instantly. He swears they are getting darker as the days pass… Also, isn't she thinner than last summer? Probably the loss of said teenager at home, and not having to cook for her... He chooses to joke and smiles at her.  
"Well, actually my own daughter asked me to put her up for adoption, and you are the lucky winner, Abby! So if you're ready, you can have her… She bugged me about it quite a bit this morning..."  
Abby flashes him her most dazzling smile, and he is happy because his attempt at not letting her get into the nostalgic mood worked to perfection, it seems.  
"Oh my, she tried to persuade me to talk to you in her favor...Should I adopt her, you think? Get her out of your way. She is a sweet kid after all..."  
"Oh no I don't think you got it totally right! What I forgot to mention is that if you take her you take the package, meaning her pain-in-the-ass father is not leaving her side… It's two for the price of one, that’s why you're a winner there!"  
Just as the words leave his mouth, he realizes how they can be interpreted, and tries really really hard not to blush.... But she's looking at him, mischief in her eyes, and grabs his coffee from his hands, takes a sip, and answers:  
"Don't you offer things you might want to regret, who knows, I might be up to the challenge! It would be quite fun to ground you every now and then..."  
"Oh yeah? YOU would ground ME? That would be the day! First you'd have to find a good reason.."  
"Hey, my house, my rules! I'm sure you 'd break one sooner rather than later..."  
"Oh I see, getting back at me for being bossy, you would love that, wouldn't you, you tiny mischievous woman!"  
"I am NOT tiny!"  
"You are so! And by the way, may I have my coffee back, please?"  
"If you ask nicely..."  
"How much more nicely can I get, do you think? Now, give!"  
"Nope!"  
In one quick stride he is standing in her personal space, and she lifts the cup as high as she can, but he wraps one arm around her waist to prevent her from fleeing, and reaches out to effortlessly snatch the cup from her hand.  
"See? Tiny!"  
She bursts out laughing, and falls into his embrace, forehead on his chest.  
"Ok big boy, you win, but that is such a hollow victory, the strong man versus the TINY woman..."  
"But you're a bundle of fierceness, so excuse me if I am quite proud of myself..."  
Indra, who along with Bellamy has watched the scene unfold, rolls her eyes at them, while Bell snickers...  
"You know you are both acting like twelve year-olds at the moment, right?"  
Abby looks up from Marcus's chest, but she doesn't move away from him, she won't admit it out loud but she is quite enjoying being wrapped against him, albeit in a friendly embrace.  
"Yes absolutely Bell, thank you for letting us know. Glad to see your observation skills are functioning, they will become handy at some point, granted you're a journalist..."  
Then she looks up at Marcus with a smile.  
"Maybe, as a twelve year-old, I should ask Octavia to adopt me? Would she agree, do you think?"  
He winks at her and lets out a very dramatic sigh.  
"Well I don't know, Abby, I mean, how often would you try to steal her breakfast drink? I'm not sure O has a great sense of humor first thing in the morning, she might send you right back home after a ...day..."  
She wrinkles her nose and softly bites her lower lip, and God how he loves it when she does that!  
"Then I would be left to cope with her pain-in-the-ass father and we don't want that..."  
There's silence then, and they lock eyes for what seems like a century. This time she's the one who realizes the double meaning in her words the second she let them out... Is his hand suddenly getting all soft and caressing on her back? Are her fingers gripping the shirt on his chest a little too hard? When did they move so close to each other? Is she looking at his lips? Is he looking at hers?  
Then he seems to shake himself out of it, and breaks the silence with a whisper.  
"Don't we..."  
She thought she was ready for a witty answer, but at his soft whispered words, her breath catches in her throat... She gently pushes herself away from him, immediately, dare she admit it, missing his proximity, and as a distraction, looks at Bell.  
"What color are you wearing on camera tonight?"  
Marcus takes this as his cue to leave them alone, and starts heading to his office.  
"Meeting in one hour, guys! Get your brains on the job!"  
That's when the devilish voice reappears out of the blue. "Are you speaking for yourself Kane? Slightly distracted this morning, are we? Was it clear enough for you that she's interested, are you waiting till you're old and gray to make your move?" "Shut up!" " Of course! You know I'm right though, don't say otherwise." "You're wrong, she's not interested, she just wants friendship, is that wrong to you? And so do I." "Now tell me something in all honesty, if she wasn't married, would you make a move?" "No!" "Liar!" "No!" " Because you're married too?" "No shit Sherlock!" "Ok, if neither of you were attached, would you?" "..." " Hello?" "..." "Ok, that's a yes!... You can feel it, right? The pull? The attraction? The chemistry? You know it's all there right?" "Ohfor Heaven's sake..." "I see no heaven here, sorry..." "Shut up!" "You're good together, everyone can see!" He sighs..."Oh my goodness..."  
After the meeting, Abby climbs the stairs and knocks on his door.  
"Hey!"  
"Everything's fine? You look tired!"  
"I am… I’m not sleeping very well these days to be honest..."  
"Why? I mean, if you want to talk about it..."  
She shrugs and looks at her feet.  
"Clarke… Jake... My brain… I have so many questions, and not enough answers, and it keeps bugging me, and going round and round in my head..."  
"Can I help?"  
"...No...Yes... Can I take a nap on your couch? I don't really want to be alone, my brain won't let me sleep if I am..."  
"Of course! Here, come on!"  
He's seated on the couch himself and slides to the end of it, gesturing for her to lie down. She discards her shoes and sits next to him, legs curled under her, and peeks at his tablet.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Reviewing the info Eric gathered so far from the secretary of the White House, and trying to decipher what's gonna happen, I have a feeling we're in the calm before the storm, and I'm trying to prepare for a possible hurricane..."  
"Do you need my input?"  
"I will but now, what I need is for you to rest, that's why you came here for, right?"  
"Right..."  
She is curled against his side, and looks at him from under her long thick lashes, then on impulse reaches out, delicately cups his jaw in her palm and lightly presses a feathery kiss on his lips. It's over before he realizes what happened, as she slides her hand down his face, brushing his lips with her fingers, her eyes following the path of her hand, then slides down on the couch and places her head on his lap, with a little sigh. He's flabbergasted, a little flustered and, he must admit, happy... Happy, a feeling he hasn't experienced much in the past few months. And now, it’s just… There!  
He looks down at her, she has closed her eyes and tucked her hands under her face on his lap, and he can feel she's trying to slow her breathing down. So he reaches for her hair, spread out around her beautiful face, and starts caressing her long locks, curling some around his fingers. She sighs a little contented sigh, and he grows a little bolder, sliding the back of his knuckles against her cheek, lightly tracing the shape of her jaw. She smiles against his hand, and simultaneously he feels her whole body relax. They spend a long time like this, her slowly falling asleep on his lap, him admiring her silently and letting his hand run endlessly into her hair.  
A couple of hours later, she starts to stir, and he looks down to watch her wake up. She looks so perfect, her features all soft, oblivious of her concerns, then she opens her eyes, remains silent for a bit, stretches with a big yawn, turns on her back, still on his lap, and looks up at him, flashing him her million dollar smile, and as usual, ever since the very first time he met her, his heart melts.  
"Hi.”  
Her voice is raspy from sleep, and sexy as hell. But she frowns suddenly, and sighs, closing her eyes.  
"Oh my, Marcus, I'm so sorry... I'm so... worthless on days like this, look at me..."  
"Hey, hey, just relax, ok? We all have bad days, it's only human to be tired. It’s fine to admit it, and on top of everything, you picked the right moment… So, stop beating yourself up, there's no need... Now, you want to tell me what’s troubling you?"  
She sits up and hides her face in her hands, elbows on her knees, shrugging, then shaking her head, she mumbles:  
"Not really? I...need to sort it out by myself first, you know?" Then she looks up. "Do you mind?"  
"Of course not, as long as you think you can cope... But promise me you'll come to me if it gets to be too heavy, or too much, or too overwhelming… Now, come here!"  
And he wraps her again into his arms, in a friendly hug, and of course she returns the embrace. He can't help but whisper into her hair:  
"I'm here whenever you need me."  
"I know..."  
Then she detangles herself from him and stands up.  
"Thank you Marcus... I'm gonna go check with Bellamy ... I’ll keep you posted


	6. Where it all begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up a bit...You've been warned! Lol

6- Where it all begins  
It's now eleven pm, the cameras are turned off, the buzz is slowing down, and still nothing new had leaked from the government… They were all so ready for chaos and hype that they are almost disappointed to check out and go home the night... The volunteer to stay in for tonight is Bellamy, and the rest of them say their goodbyes and head out.  
"Abby? Good job tonight! Do you want a lift home?"  
"Well thank you kind Sir! No, I'm fine actually, I drove too this morning, I didn't want to face the hassle of going back home so late on the train..."  
"Ok, I'll see you in the morning then. Try to get some sleep?"  
She grabs his hand and squeezes it, looking up into his eyes with a beautiful smile. He can read her eyes, she doesn't need any words, he knows what she is thinking. When did that start to happen? They can't seem to tear themselves away from each other's gaze, having a silent conversation of comfort and care.  
Once home, he calls Callie. It should be easy to reach her, granted she is three hours behind, but once again he goes straight to voicemail...  
"Hi Honey, I'm calling to check on you, but you must still be at work. I hope you're fine, I just got home and am heading to bed. Give me a call when you get a chance, let me know your plans. Love you!"  
He gets up at 4.30am to a text from her, saying she's looking at coming for sure this weekend, and he smiles, hoping they will be in sync this time, that his job will not suddenly pick up tonight...  
After tossing and turning for a bit, he just decides to get up and go to work. Upon arriving at the office, he's not really surprised to be the first one. Bellamy is asleep in the resting room, there is a note on his desk, reporting the non-events of the night, except for an earthquake in Japan that fortunately left no victims, and suddenly he wonders why he needed to come in so early...  
He's seriously considering lying on that bed and going right back to sleep, when he hears heels clicking on the stairs, and he opens his door to a very disheveled Abby. He can't help but smile at the look though, because no matter what, she is simply gorgeous. She's wearing no make-up, her hair is all over the place, sticking out of her pony tail in various places, and she looks really frail and tiny in her faded blue jeans and white t-shirt. After giving him a look of surprise, she walks right past him, flops on the couch and presses the heels of her hands on her eye sockets.  
"You're here already? Damn.... I'm sorry for barging in like that, I thought you were still at home, and… I didn't get any sleep last night.... Not one minute… Nothing... I tried, I swear I did, but there was no way because... And so..."  
"Hey, hey, slow down a bit!... Are you ok?"  
She looks up.  
"I don't know, actually.... Yes I guess.... I just thought if I couldn't sleep at home, I'd take you up on the offer to crash here, it did work yesterday, but I didn't think you would be here so early, I don't want to be a pain in the ass, but... "  
She looks up, and he can see the circles under her eyes are getting darker, and strangely, she seems on the verge of tears, which he has never seen happen before. He frowns.  
"Abby, you can't go on with so little sleep, there's only so much a person can take ..."  
"I know, but I'm strong, two hours’ nap and I’ll be fine! And what about you too, actually? It's five am, Marcus, what's your excuse?"  
"I have none, I woke up at four thirty, couldn't go back to sleep, came here. The end! And I don't doubt for one second that you're strong, but again, sleep deprivation takes its toll on the strongest person too! So, why don't you take the bed and I'll wake you up when need be?"  
"Oh I'm sorry, you wanna use the couch! I can just go to my office after all, and -"  
She jumps up and heads towards the door, she seems to be a bundle of nerves ready to snap, but he reaches out fast and grabs her waist.  
"You. Go. To bed. Now. Order from your boss!"  
She seems to freeze for a second. Then looks at him, releases a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and relaxes against him, for just a second, before she softly pushes him away.  
"I can take care of myself...."  
"I know you can, I'm just offering… There’s less noise here than downstairs, you'll sleep better. That’s why you came here in the first place, right?"  
She gives up pretending to argue and walks to the bed. She lies down, grabbing the thick blanket neatly folded by the pillows, while he sits on the couch with his cup of coffee, and stares at him for a while. He seems lost in thought, and a little tired himself. They're not getting any younger, and, like he just said, sleep deprivation takes its toll on him too, it seems.  
"Hey Marcus?"  
He turns to her.  
"Can I ask you something? Something a little... Peculiar maybe?"  
"Anything! Although if you want me to tie you to the bed, you might have to wait some time.. I’m not that organized I'm afraid...."  
She bursts out laughing, then raises an eyebrow.  
"Oh no… And here I thought you would give everything to finally use that pair of handcuffs hidden in your drawer!"  
"Oh don't you tempt me, you tiny vixen!"  
"I am not tiny!"  
"You are so! But most tiny creatures are cute though, remember..."  
She blushes like a schoolgirl, and this time when she looks at him, while untying her pony tail, there is an unusual shyness in her eyes.  
"Would you… Would you come and play with my hair for a while, like you did yesterday? I know it sounds a bit odd, and rather childish, but it's really comforting and sent me into a peaceful sleep right away, which is what I need at this minute..."  
He smiles at her like he just heard the biggest compliment ever, and the next second he's sitting next to her, with his hand buried in her hair. He starts slowly caressing the long golden brown strands, and she smiles a little smile of contentment. Without thinking, she surprises them both and slides on the bed so her head rests on his lap.  
"This feels so good... I needed a cuddle I think..."  
"Ok, you know what?... Scoot over!"  
He then lies next to her and carefully takes her in his arms, gauging her reaction, hoping that she won't take it as overstepping some boundaries and push him away, but he needn't worry since she instantly curls against him, her head on his chest and her arm draped over him, as if they had been in this position numerous times, while he's saying:  
"There's not a lot we can do at the moment anyway, and I could use a few more hours of sleep myself..."  
He feels her smile against his chest… Her hair smells of fruit and is so soft under his touch, he can't stop running his fingers in it, even after he feels her relax in his arms and her breathing slow down. When have they become so comfortable with each other again? They've always been at ease with each other intellectually, but this physical closeness and sort of intimacy is new and surprising. And welcome? It took her a good three minutes to fall asleep, he thinks before following her into the arms of Morpheus, right after shutting down the devilish voice that whispered "the best friends.... Hallllllllllllllmaaaaaaark..."  
....  
A couple of hours later, he wakes up after the best sleep he feels he's had in a long long time, and is surprised to see how they've moved in their sleep...They're a mess of tangled limbs, just as if they'd always slept in each other's arms, as if their bodies recognized each other.... She's half on top of him, her leg wrapped around him, his hand is sprawled on her bottom, while his other arm has snaked around her neck, her right hand has moved between the mattress and his shoulder, and her hair is tickling his nose. They are breathing in sync, everything in this moment seems so right and what it should be… He revels for a bit in the feel of her, how she fits perfectly against him and into his arms, a sweet combination of soft curves and toned muscles, and he can't help it but slowly move the hand around her neck, shifts a little so he can watch her, lifts the unruly locks away from her face, resuming the stroking of her hair that she seems to love so much, and gently kisses her nose with the tip of his lips, once, twice, waits a heartbeat, starts again, then moves to her cheekbone, her eyebrow… she slowly smiles, and sighs, and her change of breathing tells him she is waking up, but now he can't stop, doesn't want to stop, so he slides his lips further up, rains little butterfly kisses on her forehead, all the way to her temple, close to her ear, down her jaw and back up to her cheek, tracing that dark circle he dislikes so much with his upper lip, wishing her worries away. She remains still as a statue, but he can feel her, all of her, relaxed in his arms as well as under his lips, attuned to everything he is doing, then finally she opens her eyes, just as he is pulling away an inch to switch to the other side of her face, their eyes meet, brown to brown, soft to soft, caring to caring, her gaze shifts down to his lips, her hand moves from under his shoulder, slowly sliding on his chest on its way to his face, then she traces his upper lip with a tentative finger, feeling the softness of it, slides down to lightly caress his beard, and when she looks back into his eyes, her mouth slightly open, something shifts, suddenly, and he knows what he needs to do, what the next step is going to be. He can't help it but slowly, softly kiss her lips, eyes open, making sure she's alright with this. She doesn't flinch, her chocolate brown eyes open too, looking into his soul it seems, and they both let themselves feel, their mouths attracted to one another like magnets, each movement one makes to part is chased by the other to meet and touch again, and when finally her hand moves to sneak into his hair, she closes her eyes and they gradually deepen the kiss. He runs his tongue on her upper lip, and she sighs against him, content, and mimics him, before moving away a little, just to whisper:  
"We shouldn't be doing this..."  
All the while wrapping her leg impossibly tighter around him, and he answers in the same breath: "No, you're right, we shouldn't..."  
And bends again to resume kissing her. She opens her lips to grant him access, and their tongues meet in a sensual dance, while their hands start exploring... Suddenly she's on top on him and her hands are crawling inside his shirt, suddenly he's cupping her breast under her t-shirt and she's arching under his touch, suddenly their kiss gets sloppier and wetter, suddenly she's moaning and he's whispering:  
"Please tell me to stop..."  
But all he gets is:  
"Give me another minute..."  
She's all softness and sensuality, he's all tenderness and caring, their exchange is slow and languorous, as if they had all the time in the world to discover each other.  
Just as he's reaching for the button of her jeans, his back pocket vibrates. They slowly break the kiss, coming back to reality...  
They look into each other's eyes, neither pulling out of their embrace… Each thinking that it should feel awkward, but somehow, it feels.... some kind of right...  
He moves her hair out of her face, and lightly kisses her nose.  
"Saved by the bell I guess..."  
She remains silent, but her eyes are smiling, and her lips wander over his face, slowly, lovingly.  
"Are we talking about this?"  
"Are we?"  
They are still wrapped around each other, he's still peppering little kisses down her neck, her thumbs are still softly stroking his cheeks, eyes closed again, then she sighs, and slowly detangles herself from him.  
She's now sitting on the bed, visibly thoughtful, running her own fingers in her hair, then twisting and turning it to make a loose bun on top of her head. It is now exposing the bare skin of her neck to his eyes, and he kneels behind her, wraps his arms around her waist and kisses the tender spot between her neck and shoulder. She moves her head to the side to allow him more access, and lies against him, grasping his hands on her waist.  
"Thank you.... I think I really needed this, it doesn't have to mean anything..."  
He keeps his face buried in her neck, reveling in her soft scent and the warmth she radiates from sleep and arousal, and says in a muffled voice.  
"It doesn't need to endanger anything… But... I might want to tie you to the bed after all..."  
She lightly slaps his arm and starts laughing.  
"You wouldn't dare threaten a tiny woman, would you?"  
"Oh thank God, you're finally admitting it!"  
She giggles and looks at him sideways. Her gaze softens when their eyes meet, and she sighs and reaches to brush her lips against his, revelling again at the softness he exudes. His hand is slowly drawing lazy circles on her belly, and she shivers under his touch, again, lying against his chest, completely content and relaxed.  
"Mmm... Why can't we stay like this forever?"  
He chuckles at her comment and tightens his arms around her.  
"Oh yes let's do that! Then we'll create complete chaos downstairs and won't care..."  
"But this is not who you are... You care..."  
"Says the woman who willingly endorses the role of surrogate mother to most of these young souls..."  
She tilts her head a bit more on his shoulder and reaches out for one more languorous kiss, then finally lets go of his hands and pushes herself up to her feet. Then she turns around and offers him her hand to help him up.  
"Come on, old man, we should grab some coffee and get to work at some point!"  
He grasps her hand and ends up standing and pulling her flush against him, wrapping her in his arms again, with a compelling desire to kiss her again, to lay down on that bed again, and to finish what they've started, and he knows, knows, that with the way she's looking at his mouth right now, with her lips slightly parted, her breathing shallow and her cheeks burning, she would be a willing participant… So he just bends until their foreheads touch, and whispers:  
"This is a dangerous game we're playing, Abby..."  
"But is it a game, really… Let's call it ..."  
But he doesn't let her finish and places a soft finger on her lips, shaking his head slightly.  
"Just… Don't try to name it just yet..."  
She locks eyes with him, silent, then nods, smiles softly, heads to the door and walks downstairs, leaving him standing in the middle of his office, his mind trying to decide whether to go blank or explode with too many thoughts… What just happened, exactly, and where do they go from there? He sighs, deciding on "blank" for the time being, but just as he is ready to join her downstairs, she's back.  
"There's still no one, Bellamy's awake and not happy because he is bored, so... I fled!"  
He smiles at her and feels all happy that she doesn't seem the least embarrassed by what happened earlier.  
"Tell you what… Go back to bed, and I'll go and check with Bell, then I'll call to get us some breakfast and wake you up when it's time."  
She smiles at him, one of her most dazzling, happy smiles, and his heart swells with... He stops before putting a word on it… Instead, he pulls her to him and locks his lips on hers, as if it was the most natural and usual gesture they shared. Almost immediately, she deepens the kiss, and almost immediately she puts an end to it, gently pushing his chest away.  
"Marcus, if we start… I won't get any sleep, and you won't get down those stairs... Let's not go there just right now?"  
He laughs at that.  
"When have you become the wisest one?"  
She feigns annoyance.  
"Excuse me! I've always been the wisest one! You're just admitting it now… Now, go!"  
So Marcus starts mapping the upcoming last day of the week. If all goes well, and that surely wasn't the initial plan for the week, they should be all able to have a free weekend, and hand the earthquake over to the weekend team with no heartbreak. They both start looking through all the leads they've followed throughout the week, so convinced were they that something or someone would come out of this and open a possible threat for the Trump administration, but no breach seems ready to give out anything so far...  
"You know Bell, we just need to cross our fingers that nothing is gonna come out within the next seven hours... If by three pm no announcement appears to be popping out, then we're safe for the weekend..."  
"Tell me about it! I hope that was a week of rehearsals!... I'm completely ready to have a weekend full of nothing! Do you have any plans?"  
"Yes actually, Callie is flying home for the weekend, so I'm just hoping it works out… Hi Jackson, Raven, Nylah! It looks like we’re almost all here, so should we say meeting room in an hour? I'm gonna order breakfast for us all. Raven, can you go up and wake Abby please?"  
Raven raises an eyebrow, opens her mouth, but when she meets Marcus's gaze, she closes it before uttering a single word, and just nods and moves towards the stairs.  
The meeting goes smoothly, everyone is on top of their game and very much in sync, they all came to terms that "the week from hell" had turned into "the week that teaches you patience", and are now all looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  
As the meeting ends, they linger in the room, salvaging the boxes of donuts and croissants, each chatting happily about their plans for the weekend.  
"So, Abby, is Clarke coming home for the weekend?"  
"Yes, thank God! And hopefully we can have some girl time and go shopping or something, what about you Raven?"  
"I'd love to just lie on my couch for the whole two days, and just catch up on my Netflix shows, eating ice cream and popcorn... Unless Octavia shows up, in which case I won't have enough ice cream and will be forced to go out grocery shopping... Marcus, what's the plan for your daughter? Is she coming to work on Monday? "  
"No, she’s only coming every other Monday, remember? The rest of the time she has school… Also, she won't show up at your place this weekend, her mum is here, hopefully, so she'll enjoy that while it lasts..."  
The rest of the day goes by as usual for a Friday. They're just setting everything in order for that night "News at Ten", and trying to vaguely plan ahead a line of "conduct' for Monday.  
At 9.45, they are all in their usual spot, and Marcus is starting to feel like this morning never existed, that it was all a dream. The whole day has passed as if nothing had changed, and he still can't tell if he's happy or sad about it, but one thing is fairly certain: He is confused as hell! Of course he is acting "as if", but damn the woman for being so poised and aloof about it. Of course she’s right, of course that's what they said after their last glorious kiss this morning, but she seems to effortlessly sail through the whole situation... The program goes as well as can be expected, and he's still asking himself the same questions when they go back to their office to pack their stuff. That is, until their eyes meet, and then he knows. He knows she is struggling as much as him with conflicting emotions.  
"Abby? A word?"  
They lock themselves in her office but stay as far away from each other as possible.  
"We're ok, right?"  
"I think we are... Like we said, it doesn't have to change anything, it's just that... It was nice, so I just don't want to ruin it by over thinking..."  
"Alright... I just... don't want us to lose what we have, although I have to say... I love kissing you..."  
She moves closer to him at that, and lays her head on his chest, sighing. His fingers search hers, and they touch, grab, let go, grab again, interlace, he brings her hand to his lips and softly kisses her knuckles, one by one...  
"Do you think we'll ever finish what we've started?"  
She doesn't look up straight away. Sighs again.  
"That's why I don't want to over think, Marcus... I have to say no though… It's dangerous, you know as well as I do that we shouldn't… We mustn’t... It's not wise, but..."  
Then she does look up, and there are so many different emotions in her eyes that he feels he's reading a complete encyclopedia! Fear, sadness, but also hope, arousal, love? On impulse, he bends a little and kisses her lips. How he loves kissing her, how soft and warm and moist her mouth is... And she smiles against his lips and surrenders against his chest. But before it goes too far, she steps back, and replaces her lips on his with her fingers, lightly tracing the shape of his mouth and looking right into his eyes.  
"Can we just agree that we're allowed to kiss and cuddle every once in a while? That we can nap in each other's arms when we need comfort? "  
"Of course we can agree to that… Of course… You're my best friend, Abby, and I never want that to change, so yes, we can add that to what best friends do..."  
She giggles and moves to the door, pulling him with her. He stops her right before she reaches the door.  
"Are we just fooling around, Abby? Or are we fooling ourselves saying that?"  
"You're overthinking too, see? Ok,let's go home! Have a great weekend, Marcus, say hi to Callie and give O a hug for me!"  
He looks at her intently then, trying to read her, but gives up after a bit and shrugs his troubles off with a soft smile.  
"And say hi to Jake and give Clarke a hug for me!"


	7. Weekend blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I want to apologize in advance ... Because I needed Jake to be the bad guy in this story...There's GOT to be one, right? So, sorry for the "nice" Jake fans out there, but you might not like what you're about to read...

7- Weekend blues

Marcus opens the front door as quietly as he can, in case his family is already asleep, but he 's welcome by the television blaring from the living room.  
"Hi dad! Guess what, mom' s here, finally! She went to bed though, she was exhausted! She cooked some casserole, we've put some for you in the microwave, but it might still be warm, go check it out!"  
He grabs his food and goes to sit next to his daughter on the couch.  
"So, mom picked you up from grandma's?"  
"Dad, get a clue! No, I took the train, I keep telling you, I'm a big girl... Actually mom got here at the same time as me..."  
"You know you will always be my baby girl..."  
Octavia rolls her eyes at that.  
"Oh my God...Parents! Anyway, in case you were wondering, Callie is leaving with the red eye Sunday night at 8pm... So plan your weekend carefully..."  
"Thank you, advisor! But stop calling your parents by their first name, thank you... So, what do you want to do tomorrow?"  
"Sleep in, have pizza for lunch, hang out with both my parents for a change, then go out with my friends for dinner..."  
"Ok, that makes sense...Deal! Let's all sleep in and then go out for pizza! And we'll go from there. Ok, baby I'm beat, I'm off to bed."  
"Hey dad? How' s Abby?"  
"Abby's fine, baby, and she's thinking about adopting you... Goodnight!"  
As he's walking to the end of the hall towards his bedroom, he hears Octavia call out:  
"And how about her adopting you too?"  
And he can't help but smile, yes, that's his daughter alright, they do think alike...  
He slides into bed, where his wife is softly snoring, oblivious to him, and watches her for a bit. She too is petite, engulfed in one of his t-shirts that reaches her mid thighs, she's sprawled over the blankets and stretched as if she actually owned the whole bed, which makes sense considering how often she gets to sleep on her own, her legs are toned and still slightly tanned from the summer and the fact that she's almost exclusively lived in California for the past 3 months. She's also cut her black hair a bit, it seems... It's pretty, she's pretty...He smiles and softly moves a strand of hair away from her face, but she bolds upright as if struck by lightning!  
"Whoa! What the... Whoa, I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to wake you up! Go back to sleep..."  
"Oh my goodness Marcus, you scared the shit out of me!...Serves me right I guess, for getting used to sleeping alone...Hi honey! Come here!"  
And she grabs a handful of his shirt and pulls him to her, then plants her lips firmly on his, knocking the air out of him in the process. He then bursts out laughing, rolls onto his back and pulls her on top of him.  
"Hi babe! So I assume you're wide awake now? How was your week?"  
"It was ... Busy and a little stressful when your husband calls you forty something times and his best friend is the one leaving a message... Jesus Marcus, I thought something had happened to O! Don't ever do that to me again!!!"  
"Stressful? Try: Your wife might be in a plane that just crashed and since she is not answering her phone there's a chance she might actually be dead... Need I say more?"  
"I'm sorry honey, that was uncalled for....Let's.. put it behind us and go to sleep, then enjoy our 2 days of being alive together..."  
"You're right... And I'm sorry for freaking out and freaking you out. Abby told me I was being stupid, you know..."  
"Oh I'm sure she did...Alright, time to sleep...Goodnight babe!"  
She gives him another big wet kiss, turns on her side and grabs his arm to have him spoon her. Of course he complies with her wish, and starts softly stroking her tummy through the fabric of her t-shirt, burying his face in her neck and reveling in her familiar scent, but she lightly slaps his hand away, giggling.  
"Oh my goodness, Marcus, what's got into you, aren't you tired? Because I'm exhausted, and Octavia told me how hard you guys worked this week, so I'd assume you would like nothing more than a good night sleep..."  
"I'm sorry if I'm happier to see you than I'm tired..."  
"Tell me about it tomorrow morning, ok? Now goodnight babe..."  
He smiles against her neck and wraps her closer against his chest.  
"Alright, you win...Sleep well baby.."  
His last thought before falling asleep is shockingly about Abby though...He pictures her lying in her bed at this very moment, and hopes she is finally going to get at least one good, peaceful and long night sleep. She needs it and can't survive another full week that might turn hectic on two-hour naps on a couch or an air mattress...

At the same moment, Abby too, is lying in the dark. But she's wide awake, curled on her side on the edge of the bed, while her husband is sprawled on his stomach, taking most of the space, and oblivious to the fact that she seems to not want to touch him. He was already in that position when she got home, and nothing woke him up, not when she briefly turned the light on, because she wanted to retrieve a fresh shirt to sleep in from the closet, and he hadn't bothered to leave the bedside lamp on, not when Clarke yelled on the top of her lungs that she had found THE movie on Netflix that they should watch, not even when the dog jumped on the bed, visibly happy to see both his owners in the same place...  
So Abby and Clarke spent a bit of time on the couch, the "wonderful, mom, I can assure you" movie vaguely playing in the background, while Abby was eating the leftover pizza from the night before, because daughter and father had gone out to eat and had forgotten to get her something...But then Clarke almost fell asleep, and when Abby started running her fingers on the golden locks, both of them decided to turn the movie off and go to bed.  
So she lies there, wrapped in her side of the blanket like a shield, eyes wide open, and unable to find sleep, at the same time admonishing herself...  
" You need to sleep Abby, you need to close your eyes and shut your brain up and sleep, and wake up Monday morning..."  
She then turns to Jake, and watches him in the dark...His fair hair is catching the ray of light coming through the heavy curtains, he does need a haircut, but he still has the most gorgeous fair hair, and she suddenly feels a surge of love for him, for giving her their beautiful daughter with the same mane of hair. She reaches out and lightly runs her hand into it. He sighs and smiles a little, so she lets her hand slide down his naked back, his body still looks and feels like a young man's, a reward for carrying and moving big animals around on his own, probably...He seems to wake up just a tiny bit, turns his face to her, and smiles.  
"Hi! Do you have something specific in mind?"  
She smiles too and interlaces her fingers with his.  
"Hi yourself! No, I was just...watching you, you looked so peaceful..."  
He looks right into her eyes, suddenly very awake, and slides towards her, and in one swift move, he's pushed her on her back and is on top of her.  
"Jake, slow down a bit, honey! I didn't mean to"  
" Oh for God's sake Abby, I know exactly what you're after,...And when was the last time we had sex? And with the way you're looking at me now, you've actually turned me on, you little bitch, so now you're getting what you were hoping for!"  
"Don't call me that, you know I hate it, and it actually turns me totally off... Every. Single. Time!"  
"Oh yes? Are you sure about that? Well, let me fix it then...I'm sorry I called you bitch... Now, let go and enjoy..."  
And he starts sliding down her body, his hand slowly creeping up under her shirt, reaching for her breasts, while his mouth is leaving a hot, wet trail from her belly button all the way down to her sex. She closes her eyes and tries to get in the mood, realizing that yes, she did want to make love to him tonight, but she was ready for a little more foreplay, a little more tenderness, a little more consideration. So she wills her body to respond to his ministrations, and when he slides back up to kiss her mouth, she is ready for him, wraps her legs around his hips and welcomes him in. But as most times these days, he just concentrates on his own pleasure, and comes before she has a chance to do anything...So once more, she fakes contempt and smiles at him right before he rolls away from her with a satisfied groan.  
"Happy now? Ready to sleep for good? Goodnight baby!"  
"Jake can we talk for a little bit?"  
"Not now honey, now is time for some shut eyes AND mouth. We can talk all you like in the morning, ok? Now stop being all romantic and cheesy and sleep!"  
"I just need to..."  
"You just need to sleep, that's what you need! you look like shit, you're obviously tired, so just close your eyes and open them in 9 hours, I'll make sure the dogs don't wake you up ...Goodnight!"  
She sighs and moves to rest her head on his chest. He wraps her loosely in his arm, plants a little kiss on her hair, and almost instantly his breathing tells her he's asleep. Why does he have that ability to do that, when she's left there with the prospect of yet another sleepless night, she wonders. It's always been a major difference between the two of them, her waking up when baby Clarke would as much as roll over in her cot, while he would be oblivious to everything all through the night. She curls against him and wills her body to relax...Eventually she hopes exhaustion will push her into sleep at some point during the night...Marcus is right, there's only so much a person can take without sleep, and she can't go on like this, she has to rest...

Morning comes and she wakes up to a cold bed, as usual. No matter which day it is, Jake wakes up at the crack of dawn and heads straight to the clinic, to check up on his patients. Depending on what is going on there, he's home after an hour... Or not.  
She gets up and decides to set up a huge breakfast for the three of them, and texts him about it.  
Clarke wakes up an hour later to the smell of bacon and eggs, and sneaks into the kitchen to watch her mum cook. She used to love those weekends when she was a child, and her dad would show off with his ability to flip crepes by throwing them up in the air and having them land right into the pan again, and she would perch on a stool and help her mum whisk the eggs to make yummy omelets, then they would all sit at the bar and pick food from each other's plates, and dad would always end up being the clown and draw flowers on mum's cheek with chocolate sauce, and she'd pretend to be mad but would end up giggling the minute he'd kiss and clean the flower away.

She's now used to having quality time with her parents, but separately, and she realizes they are rarely together as a family. But she loves spending time with her dad, at his clinic mostly, watching and sometimes helping him with the sick dogs, cats, iguanas or birds... But mostly, she loves to draw the animals, to capture their expressions and the movement of their limbs.  
Her favorite human subject remains her mum, to her the most beautiful woman on earth. She has hundreds of drawings of her, some she made unbeknownst to her, and truth is those are her favorites. Her main teacher at college marveled at her ability with drawing intricate shades, and she told him it probably was because she spent so much time drawing her mother's hair and the multiple colors the sun brings out when it shines on her.  
Which is what is happening right now; There's a ray of light caught in the middle of Abby's hair, and a part of it looks almost blond, shading the other locks as dark brown amongst a full mane of auburn-ish light chocolate.  
"Mom, has someone told you recently how beautiful you are? I'm so jealous, but also so proud that you are my mom..."  
Abby looks up and smiles her million dollar smile, blushing slightly;  
"Hi baby! And thank you, that's so sweet of you to say!"  
"Oh I'm sure you're tired of hearing it all the time..."  
"Don't think so, you're actually the only one who pays me compliments you know?"  
"Mom...Look me in the eye and tell me dad never says it!"  
Abby bites her lower lip, looking down, almost embarrassed it seems, then looks her daughter straight in the eye.  
"Your dad never says it. Well, that's not totally accurate... Your dad no longer says it! I guess we've known each other too long, he no longer pays attention, or he does and no longer thinks so...I'm no longer young and pretty you know."  
Clarke bursts out laughing at that.  
"Oh my goodness, this is the best joke I've heard all week! You're not serious, right? You cannot think that! I mean, hello? Look around, who's the best looking person you've ever seen? You!!!! Mom? Hello? Ask Bellamy, who's young and pretty! Ask Raven, she'll tell you how most women would kill to have your looks! Ask Marcus, for God's sake, he looks at you like you're the human version of the sun!  
Oh my God mom....Marcus told you, right? You're blushing so hard!!!!"  
Abby giggles at that, trying really hard at the same time to hide the trouble she's feeling, and the warm sensation invading her at the thought of Marcus.  
"Yeah, you know, Marcus says that to all of us women, and he makes sure I feel good whenever I'm ready to go on camera... I don't think he really means it.."  
"Aw that's so nice of him... And trust me, he means it!! You want to know a secret? I think Marcus is a little besotted with you..."  
"Clarke! This is so... childish! Marcus can't be, but he IS my best friend for sure, so don't get confused..."  
"Alright, if you say so... But the way he looks at you, I don't know, mom..."  
"I'm very comfortable with Marcus, and he with me...We share a lot, so yes, I can see why you would say that..."  
"AND, the man thinks you are beautiful and tells you so....I'm happy you have him in your life, mom...Honest..."  
"Thank you darling, I'm happy he is in my life too...."  
"How is it going with dad when I'm not here by the way?"  
"Why the leap from Marcus to your dad, Clarke?"  
"I'm just asking about the people in your life when I'm away... I worry about you mom, you take care of everyone, but who takes care of you?"  
"I'm a grown up woman, darling, I take care of myself you know.... Your dad is... doing his thing, just like I'm doing mine... Nothing new I suppose..."  
"Mom, can I say something you don't need to answer to?... I think dad is mean to you sometimes, and I've seen how it affects you....That's why I worry... You can't let him question your qualities and your confidence..."  
"Clarke, I'm fine, you don't need to worry. Your dad has always known how to push my buttons a certain way, but it's nothing I can't cope with."  
"Then promise me that if it ever gets to a point where you can no longer stand it, you'll leave..."  
"Oh my goodness honey, how did we get to this? You don't need to be scared, Clarke, again, I'm a grown-up woman you know, I've been with your father for the past 20 years and I love him and he loves me. Every couple goes through phases where they need to adapt to new ways of life and circumstances, such as you leaving...But there's absolutely nothing to make you question whether we love each other..."  
Clarke remains silent at that, just looking into her mother's eyes, whose stare doesn't falter, and she knows her well enough to give up on the conversation.  
"Okayyyy....If you're sure...."  
"I am! Now, how about some eggs for you? I've also made pancakes..."  
"Yeah, maybe dad is gonna be home real soon and it will be"  
She can't finish the sentence because the door opens to Jake and one of the dogs.  
"Oh wow, smells good in here, my girls are ready for breakfast?"  
"Yes dad, we were just hoping you'd show up now, and there you are! "  
So all three of them sit around the table, just like old times, Clarke sharing funny stories of her life in the dorms, and Jake telling them about the new kittens that were born at the clinic the morning before. Then Abby tells them about the plane crash scare, keeping it on a lighter tone and not dwelling too much over Marcus' scare, and when she's done, Jake dramatically sighs.  
"Seriously, darling, I don't understand how you can still enjoy that job; A, it's a mood pooper, you can't tell your stories without killing the mood around you, and B, isn't it time for you to do something a little more rewarding? I mean, being on camera surely has its assets, but maybe it's time for you to let the younger generation handle the pressure?"  
"Pressure? Which one? The one of being on camera? There's no pressure to that! I quite enjoy it actually!"  
"And you look so good on screen mom! My friends at college are so jealous of me!"  
"Thank you baby, I'm glad someone in this family enjoys watching me..."  
"Don't get me wrong honey, I do love watching you, but... You know what I mean, right?"  
"No, Jake, I don't know, please do enlighten me!"  
"Well, Bellamy sitting next to you could be your son, you know?"  
"Yes, Jake, Bell is like a son to me, what's your point exactly? It was actually done on purpose, in case you were wondering. Obviously we went against what is politically correct and paired an older woman with a younger man, as opposed to most images we have to endure in a society where it is more "comforting", mostly for MEN to watch a sugar daddy paired up with a Barbie girl. So I'm sorry if you fit in the percentage of those we go against, but I'm very comfortable on screen next to my own personal Ken..."  
"I'm sorry to have hurt your feelings, sweetheart, but"  
"Are you really Jake? Never mind, drop it, ok? Let's talk about something more fun and entertaining! Clarke, what do you want to do today?"  
Clarke has watched the exchange between her parents with a knot in her stomach, but somehow she is proud of her mother for standing up to her beliefs. She doesn't catch her mother's eyes, brimming with unshed tears, proving that the discussion hurt her more than she's actually letting show.  
"How about we go shopping, mom, then dad can meet us for dinner outside and a movie?"  
"That sounds great! Jake?"  
"Perfect, you pick the movie Clarke, and text me later where to meet you... I'm gonna take a shower..."  
On his way out, he lightly grabs his wife by the waist, and softly kisses her hair, whispering:  
"You know I do love my feisty wife, right?"  
She smiles at him, and rolls her eyes at the same time, gently pushing his hands away, because truth is, all she wants is stay away from his touch at the moment.  
"Go shower, instead of saying stupid things..."  
They end up spending a lazy morning together, Jake in the backyard for the most part, playing with the dogs and tending to the leaves falling from the trees, while the girls are flopped on the couch sipping coffee and mostly discussing Clarke's life in college.  
They decide to head to the mini mall on 100th and Columbus first, then go from there eventually, only because they can drive down there, and take a cab or a train if they want to go elsewhere in Manhattan.  
Which by pure luck, or is it fate, is where Marcus and family are heading to at the same time.  
"Mom, let's go to T.J.Maxx first, ok? I want to look at the winter coats..."  
"That's a good idea, I need one myself, sometimes I freeze my butt when I leave the office at almost midnight and take the train home..."

"Callie, can we go to T.J.Maxx please? I need some new jeans, and maybe a couple of sweaters.."  
"Octavia Kane, stop calling your mother by her 1st name, now!"  
"Oh come on, Marcus, be a hip parent for once!"  
"Alright baby, you may call me Callie if I can use your toddler nickname in public..."  
"Mother! I'm shocked! This is blackmail! Absolutely out of the question!"  
"Alright then, Marcus honey, would you go to T.J with O? I need to go to the bank first, I'll meet you guys once I'm done?"  
"Deal! Come on then, Tata! let's go find jeans!"  
"Daaaaaaaad! Oh my God, my parents are monsters!"  
Both said parents burst out laughing, and Callie reaches out to peck her husband on the lips.  
"I'll see you in a bit! Don't let her fry the credit card!"  
As father and daughter step off the escalator into the store, Octavia suddenly shouts:  
"Clarke! Look who's here dad, how cool is this?"  
"Come on baby, maybe they want to be left alone and spend some time just the 2 of them."  
"Oh..... You think? Maybe you're right! But can we just go say hi?"  
"Sure! Lead the way!"  
But Clarke has already seen them, and is waving at Octavia.  
"Mom, the Kanes are here!"  
"Is this a set- up Clarke? Did you plan ahead to get together with O?"  
"No, I swear!"  
But she can't keep on talking, being engulfed into an Octavia bear hug. Abby smiles at the picture of the two girls, then looks behind Octavia to see Marcus walk to them. Their eyes meet and she gives him her most radiant smile, the one she seems to only use with him these days.  
"Sorry Abby, I know how much you wanted this weekend to be family only, but what were the odds really..."  
"Don't worry, I'm happy to see you, and the girls are gonna have fun helping each other out, and burning our credit cards! Where is Callie?"  
"She's next door at the bank, but I suspect she's also gonna do a run to Starbucks, my wife is fairly caffeinated, worse than us! And she needs less winter clothes at the moment, considering the amount of time she spends on the West Coast..."  
"Oh...Right... Well, how about you help me pick a winter coat? You know, someone said we can't risk the star of the show falling sick because she isn't wearing the appropriate clothing..."  
"Oh, that must have been quite a caring and smart person..."  
"That is indeed..."  
Their eyes meet again and lock, and instinctively, his fingers reach out to grab hers. She feels warm at the small, barely noticeable gesture, and suddenly she wants nothing else but rest her head on his chest and let him wrap her into his arms. "Don't go there, Abby, behave...Your daughters are round the corner for god's sake..."  
And at the same time, he moves into her personal space, pulling at her hand, and whispers :  
"Abby I'm fighting this crazy impulse to kiss you right now... Is that bad?"  
She closes her eyes, briefly, but then.  
"Marcus, please please behave..."  
"Don't worry, I know ... We are not alone..."  
"... We can't kiss and cuddle in public... That's what we agreed on, remember? But. We can hug! You're my friend, and I don't see why not"  
"Meet Abby Griffin, the new Yoda...You're right, of course, but I just wanted you to know that I really really wanted to kiss you..".  
She giggles and looks at him with bright smiling eyes. He lightly taps her nose, and slides a very soft finger under her eye.  
"You've slept...I can see it, you actually slept last night, I'm glad...God you are so beautiful!"  
The butterflies in her stomach seem to be doing somersaults at the moment... She can't show him, won't show him how deeply his compliment affects her... So she turns to the coats rack and browses through the row of long heavy winter attire. She picks a couple and shows him.  
"What do you think? Which one?"  
"Any! You can make anything look good anyway...Which is your favorite? Try them all on here, let's see!"  
She giggles and gives him her purse and jacket to hold, then slips into the first one, a long beige coat with a large shawl collar.  
"It's cute, but you're too tiny for that big... thing up here..."  
"The collar you mean? Yes it's definitely too big! Ok, 2nd one..."  
This time she disappears into a dark blue , double buttoned duffle coat type.  
"Ew, I don't like that one! it's too... strict? "  
"Yeah, I look like a school teacher from a convent or something! I'm quite scary in this actually! It's a no!"  
"How about this one?"  
"Oh this looks good actually! Let me try it on!"  
"Oh Abby this is beautiful! You look amazing!"  
She stares at her reflection in the mirror, and smiles.  
"You're right, this is the one I think!"  
"And when it starts raining or snowing, you can put this on and be all warm and cozy!"  
He flips the hood onto her head, smiles broadly and lightly taps her nose again.  
"I told you, you're as cute as a button, Abby!"  
She bursts out laughing and lays her forehead on his chest.  
"Oh my, Marcus! How do you do it? You are such a tease, yet that makes me feel so good!"  
He pulls away a tiny bit, grabs the sides of her hood, and softly strokes her cheeks with his thumbs.  
"I'm not a tease, you know, I'm just good at stating facts!"  
She blushes furiously, sighs and then looks down.  
"Thank you!"  
"Hey, I'm not joking, look at yourself!"  
And he flips her around so she is facing the mirror again.  
"What do you see?"  
"I see a pretty black coat with a faux fur lined hood..."  
"...Framing a gorgeous face with big beautiful chocolate eyes, cute nose and full dark lips...Oh, and look at those cheekbones! Damn, this face should be on TV! Oh, wait... This face is on TV! Ok, good!"  
She bursts out laughing, looking at his reflection behind her in the mirror, his hands still on her shoulders, his bright smile lighting his whole face, his eyes shining with laughter, and instinctively leans towards him so her back rests onto his chest, instantly warming up at the contact.  
"What are you two laughing about?"  
They both jump apart at the sound of Clarke's voice.  
"Well, dear Clarke, I'm trying to show your mother the importance of buying this specific coat...What do you girls think?"  
"Since when have you become a fashion expert, dad?"  
"Since my daughter became a teenager, actually... Now, tell me I'm wrong and this is NOT the right coat for Abby!"  
"No! I quite agree with you, Abby, you look divine, as usual!"  
Abby blushes again, and looks at Clarke for approval. She nods enthusiastically, and so Abby takes the coat off, and wraps it on her arm.  
"Alright, I'm buying it! How about you girls? What have you found?"  
The four of them happily stroll down the aisles of the store, and by the time Callie finally meets them, they are standing in line at the cashier's.  
Once outside, each family goes their separate ways, despite Octavia begging for them to stay together.  
Sunday comes and goes, and Abby finds herself dreading the moment Clarke is gonna go back to the dorm. Fortunately, her daughter has decided that Monday morning would be soon enough for her to leave home, so Abby, relieved, cooks their favorite dish and all three of them sit on the couch to watch a Netflix movie.  
"Why do we always eat the same food? Can't you, I don't know, be creative sometimes? I mean you are never here for dinner on weekdays, so can't you find different things to make on the weekends?"  
"You know Jake, my name is not written in gold on the pots and pans, if you like, you' re welcome to show us your creativity and surprise us? Turns out, in case you were wondering, this is our daughter's favorite dish, and I apologize if it is not yours, but I never heard you complain about it before!"  
She doesn't show it, but his rebuke has hurt her and her pride, yet she forces herself to keep a light tone and a smile on her face for Clarke's sake, when all she'd like to do is curl into a ball and cry. So she doesn't even listen to his answer, keeps her eyes on her plate, and goes to a safe place into her head... Turns out her safe place has the face of her boss and the surroundings of her office... She vaguely hears her daughter fight with her husband, but she is gone, images of Marcus flashing at the speed of light into her brain.

Jake is outside with the dogs when she gets ready for bed, and on impulse she decides to go sleep with her daughter. Jake barges into Clarke's bedroom, frowning.  
"I think you haven't realized our kid is no longer a baby and she does not need her mommy to sleep with her"  
"Dad, that's where you are wrong. I miss you guys, and yes, I want mom to sleep with me tonight. Do you mind?"  
"... Well, in this case Abs, once she's asleep,come back to your own bed. I'll be expecting you. Good night, Clarke, I probably won't see you in the morning, so have a great week, and I'll see you Friday night!"  
"Actually Dad, don't you remember that I'm not coming home next weekend, we have an assignment in the countryside, my entire class is driving to Upstate New York, so I won't see you guys next week..."  
"Oh...Ok then, have fun baby, and be good!"  
The two women face each other on the bed.  
"Mom... Talk to me! Has Dad always been like that?"  
"To some extend yes...Don't worry, honey, I'm quite used to it...It's just some days, I have a harder time than others coping with his passive aggressive attitude... But, you know, nobody's perfect, and that is his flaw I suppose..."  
"I'm glad you can cope with it...Ugh, men!!! I'm not sure I'm ready for them seriously!"  
"Yeah, I hear you... You have all the time in the world, you know... Anyway, I think I'll skip the "come back to your own bed" part and sleep with you if you don't mind... He ruffled my feathers a bit too much tonight, I'd rather sleep peacefully, I'm gonna need to be in top form this week, and I can't afford another sleepless night."  
"Another? Wait, what do you mean? Does that happen frequently?"  
"No don't worry... But this week was...chaotic, to say the least, there was a bit too much going on, and I didn't sleep very well. I can't do the same this week! But don't you worry, ok? I am perfectly capable of dealing with things, as long as I get some decent shut-eye..."

Morning comes, and when the women get up, Jake has already left; and Abby realizes with a sigh that she is secretly glad not to have to face him. Both women kiss and hug before Abby walks into the brisk Monday wind to go take her train, leaving her daughter with her packing to do.  
She finds a seat on the train, and as soon as she is seated, her mind drifts off to her husband. He makes her feel so bad these days, she still can't understand where it's coming from. Was he always like this? He's always been passive aggressive, that's a fact, but lately it's escalated into something meaner, like he always tries to ruin her confidence and hurt her with little words or actions. She said so to her daughter, but if she thinks about it, she can't place when he started being mean to her. Yes, it was before Clarke left. But maybe she wasn't paying much attention because she was concentrating her energy on raising her kid? Maybe it's her fault, maybe she didn't take enough care of him? Or maybe there is another woman in his life? Or maybe he resents her for never being home, or for being too passionate about her job? Her job...Her mind suddenly fills with images of a smiling Marcus, caressing her cheek between racks of winter coats... She smiles to herself... Marcus is her safe place at the moment, but when did this start? He's always been supportive of her and her work, even when they don't see eye to eye, and he can be as stubborn as a prison door, but he's always respected her and treated her kindly. She realizes she's always known, in the back of her mind, that he would be there for her, she's always felt comfortable around him, but these days it has become more, much more...She wants to be with him, talk freely without fearing of getting a rebuke or being "dismissed" or criticized just for the sake of argument, exchange ideas and thoughts and laughs and fears and doubts, not necessarily work related, when she is with him she feels regarded as equal, and now she wants to be near him, physically, she wants to feel his hands in her hair, she wants to curl up on his chest, she wants to fall asleep in his arms, and wake up with him kissing her skin. Kissing...Another new development in their relationship...Suddenly she rediscovered how good it feels to kiss and be kissed and that makes her realize she hasn't enjoyed it with Jake in quite a while now...And just thinking about Marcus makes her feel ... Happy? Excited? He makes her feel ... Alive. But her rational mind refuses to surrender, he is married, and there is no reason to endanger his couple, just because she feels miserable in her own relationship. She needs to get a hold of herself, she can't go there, it's too dangerous... And she needs to figure out what to do with her marriage, regardless of Marcus. Soon.


	8. Resist... Or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! There might be some smut ahead...So if it's not your thing, please skip this chapter! If you don't mind, I hope you will enjoy...

8- Resist. Or not...

When she arrives, most of her colleagues and friends are already there. Of course, Raven can't help but tease her.

"Wakey wakey lazy bird! So I take it your weekend with family was fun? You and Marcus both, you are the last ones to get here, how unusual!"

She laughs, hiding her troubles like a pro, and answers in a light tone.

"Hey you know, it proves that our boss trusts you guys... And I was thinking about volunteering for tonight, so I overslept on purpose..."

She doesn't listen to Raven's witty answer, and walks to her office. There's a message from Bell on her desk, with, already, a list of different leads to follow. so she immediately turns her computer on and starts to work. She loves Mondays, because no matter what happens in the world, there is always more to review, they always go over the weekend before anything, and as much as she likes being in front of the camera, she really loves writing. Her inbox suddenly tings, and she opens a brand new email from Marcus.

"Hi there! How was your weekend?"  
"Hi yourself! It was nice, thank you, I always love spending time with Clarke! How was yours?"  
"Well, it was... Interesting! Let's just say I might need you to create a tutorial for me, on how to deal with a teenage daughter in ten lessons!"  
"Ha ha ha! You need to learn how to deal with the hormones!"  
"No, actually, I need to learn how to deal with the cheeky mouth!"  
"Oh I'm sure you don't need me for that, you're perfectly capable of handling it! Anyway, I'm trying to work here! Stop bugging me you airhead!"  
"Wait a second, you are calling me "Airhead"? Remember I'm your boss?"  
"Don't you pull rank on me mister! And I'm calling my friend "airhead", not exactly my boss! And if you keep writing to me within work hours, I WILL report to my boss! Ha!"  
"Touché!... You're a tiny bug, you know that right?"  
"I am NOT tiny! Now, shut up!"  
"How are you anyway?"  
"I'm hanging in there..."  
"That's very cryptic... Tell me more?"  
"No... That's all you are gonna get from me this morning. See you later Marcus Kane!"  
"Griffin don't you dare!"

She laughs out loud, but clicks "close" nonetheless. She half expects him to show up at her door anyway, just as a follow up to their online aborted conversation, and is a little disappointed that he doesn't.

It's time for the daily meeting, and they all gather as usual around the huge conference table. Marcus arrives with two big boxes of doughnuts and a huge smile on his face. They're already all ahead of schedule, having reviewed all the weekend news and what to follow and what not , and are not really expecting anything spectacular coming from the government. So the meeting is fairly relaxed, and laid back, and rapidly adjourned. Abby retreats to her office with Bellamy, and they start drawing the major lines for the night news, leaving some space in case something unexpected comes out during the day, then Bell leaves and Abby's thoughts drift to the men in her life… She has so much affection for Bellamy, she loved him at first sight, with his childlike smile and his soft demeanor. They have a rhythm when they work together, and it shows on camera; they bounce off each other flawlessly, and yet she realizes with a smile they never had to work on it, it was just there from day one, how lucky!

Jackson... He is cute and discreet, and funny sometimes, he's her " man in the shadows", the one who feels when something is off… He's never really vocal, but he is a rock for everyone, the supportive friend that everyone wishes to have. And when the time comes, he can also turn into a party animal, and he's so much fun to be around! He's actually Clarke's favorite in the team, and that's because of his ability to joke and have fun and yet be caring and loyal...

Charles Pike...Ok, he's there… Sometimes… Truth be told, they're lucky to have him, because he's the best producer any team can dream of… Supportive, never in your face, but on top of the game when things heat up. And a sense of humor to die for. She suspects he's more aware of the dynamics between his people than he lets show too...

And then there's Marcus... She's quite proud of herself for not melting like cookie dough this morning in the conference room when his hand accidentally brushed hers over the coffee pot... She can tell herself a million times nothing has changed between them, deep down she knows it's not true... She's known for quite a while though, that there was attraction between them, there was a latent connection there, just waiting to be explored at some point ... She's quite certain now that, had they not been married, they would have fallen into it... The rational part of her brain is still telling her NOT to go there, but it's wearing thinner and thinner. Yesterday... she spent the whole time when she was not with Clarke thinking about him... Just him, what he was doing, what he was thinking, and every time, she would recall their kisses, their touching, and she knew she wanted more… But then, her rational brain was interfering, thank god, reminding her that realistically he was with his wife, happy to have her home, and there was only room for her as a friend... But... He seemed happier with her and the kids on Saturday, than when Callie showed up... Or was it her imagination? What she really wanted to see?

What she doesn't know is that Marcus upstairs is having the same train of thoughts, caught in the same doubts and the same desires. He loves his wife. He does. He loves her. But... Every time he lets his mind wander, it's Abby he's thinking about, and dare he admit, not only in a friendly way; Of course, he loves her as a friend, that is as obvious as the sun rises every morning, but there is so much more between them...There has been so much more for a long time, but only this week did he give up pretending the opposite… He wants to be with the woman, not only the friend... Is it because suddenly she needs him, and he enjoys taking care of her, is it because she is so complex, so strong and yet so vulnerable, so cheeky yet so sensitive, so similar yet so diametrically the opposite of Callie? There's a fragile hidden side of her that she's tentatively showing him now, that somehow speaks directly to his soul. He feels they are connected on some strange level, and suddenly he wonders if that's what people refer to as soulmates... " Oh come on, Captain obvious, you're forgetting the part where you actually loooove kissing her?" " Ha, there you are... No I'm not forgetting that part, thank you… Now shut up!" And yes, he loves kissing her. In fact he loves everything about her, but... They are married, for God's sake. They cannot run away in the sunset together, as much as Octavia would disagree, they are not in a Hallmark movie... Can they have an affair? God he hates that word, it feels so wrong... And having Abby in his arms somehow does not feel wrong, it feels like… home somehow. He knows she needs him at the moment, he knows he is her comfort zone, but he's slowly realizing she is his too. He needs her as much as she needs him, how strange, how scary, how... comforting too... And suddenly he wants to run down the stairs, burst into her office, lock themselves there and kiss her until they can't see straight… Oh… What… A… Beautiful… Total… Complete… Exciting… Scary… Mess!

News at Ten happens with nothing major going on to report. Abby and Bell are once again the perfect team, looking relaxed yet professional on camera, and Marcus has switched on the professional boss button too, behind the window of the control room, and gives them the thumbs up once it's over.  
When everyone gathers into the central room, Abby just tells them she's gonna take a shower because she is volunteering to spend the night, so everyone can go home.

"You don't need to do that Abby, Octavia is at her grandma's again and Callie is gone, so I can stay."  
"Then it will be the two of us."  
She looks at him straight in the eyes, and there's a "Please don't fight me on this" plea in her gaze.  
"Alright then... What kind of food do you want me to order?"  
"Anything's fine really, I'm not really hungry anyway."  
"Ok everyone, good job today, see you all in the morning! And I'm ordering sushi..."

The building rapidly empties, and Marcus puts the food on the table in the resting room before moving to his office to check his mails one last time before turning his computer off, there's nothing from Callie, meaning all is good on the west Coast, then texts Octavia good night. Just as he presses send, there's a knock on his door.  
"Come in!"  
Abby closes the door behind her and turns to him. And his breath catches in his throat... God, he thinks, she's beautiful! Her hair is lose and curling at the ends, and although she half dried it, it's still slightly wet from her shower. Her beautiful face is free of any make up, and yet her eyes are shining like two dark ambers. She's wearing her ripped jeans and a large white t-shirt, and is walking barefoot on the thick carpet, and for some reason, to him this is as sexy as can be! Is she even aware of how gorgeous she is, he wonders?  
She seems about to speak but then she catches him looking at her, and something shifts... The air seems thick and hot, and as his eyes travel from her body to her lips to her eyes, she recognizes the want and the longing in them, and that's all it takes for her to send her doubts and self-restraint flying out the window. Simultaneously they rush towards each other as she jumps into his arms and crashes her lips against his. Their kiss is hot and frantic, full of pent up passion and overwhelming desire. She wraps her legs around his waist, never stopping kissing him, and pulls his face impossibly closer, her hands running wild in his hair. He moves them back to the door to lock it, even if there's nobody else in the building, then stumbles towards the table, both his hands already caressing her back under her t-shirt, at the same time keeping her against his chest. He sits her on the desk, their mouths seem to refuse to part, their tongues sharing a story of their own. In one swift motion, he gets rid of her t-shirt, and still they barely break the kiss. She's rubbing herself on his erection, then reaches between them to unbutton his jeans, while his mouth has finally moved from her lips to her neck and his hands seem to be everywhere on her skin. She lies down on the desk, pulling him over her, as he starts attacking her breasts with his tongue. She arches her back to move her body even closer to his mouth, all the while pushing his pants down with her feet. He reaches down to unzip her jeans, and roughly pulls them down her legs. He can't seem to get enough of her, he's touching everywhere, licking and kissing every inch of bare skin, while, unable to tear his t-shirt or get him out of it, she's slid her hands under and is grasping his shoulders so hard she's probably leaving marks on his skin. They don't take their time, it's almost animalistic, the way their bodies meet and talk to each other. In a heartbeat, he's inside her, and for them both, it feels right, and their love making is wild and passionate, as if they didn't have enough hands or lips to reach all they wanted to reach, as if the world around them was gonna end the next minute, as if someone or something was gonna happen and stop them before it gets further... The way she arches and cries out when she comes, pulling at his hair, makes him almost instantly follow her over the edge.  
They remain motionless for a bit, half dressed still, panting, he peppers little kisses on her collarbone, she tangles her fingers in his hair, until they catch their breath. They haven't said a word since she jumped into his arms, too engrossed in their kissing and the passion that was overwhelming them. After a little while, he stands up, gently pulling her with him, leaving as little space between their bodies as possible, and carries her to the bed. They lie down together, and softly smile at each other. She can't stop touching him, caressing his face and tracing his lips with a light finger, that he kisses on the way.

"Hi!"  
"Hi!... That was..."  
"Yes...Yes it was..."  
Silence again, as if they both were in awe of what just happened, and trying to figure it out.  
"Do I need to say that you were all I could think of this weekend?"  
"Do you know how hard it was Saturday to not wrap you in my arms and kiss you senseless, to not be able to touch you and stay with you and you only?"  
"I told you, it was a dangerous game, but… I'm happy we're playing… and ashamed, but… I can't help it, I… need you!"He looks at her gravely, playing silently with a lock of her hair, he doesn't say a word, instead he bends over her and captures her lips, playing with her tongue and running his hands over her naked skin. He discards the rest of her clothes, and reverently slides down her body, burying his face between her legs, slowly, slowly kissing and licking her in all the right places, as if he already knew all her secrets, attuned to her reactions, aware that she's looking at him with a slightly surprised look in her eyes, before surrendering to him with a moan… Her second orgasm comes even faster than her first, making him instantly hard again for her.  
Looking up, he's again mesmerized by her beauty. She's glowing in the aftermath of her orgasm, looking down at him with shiny eyes and a sweet contented smile.  
"Oh my, Marcus! This is...Two orgasms in a row? I mean...Thank you!... I… Anyway... Now, how come you are still wearing clothes? As much as I love this t-shirt, I'd love it even more if it was thrown away on the chair or something..."  
He gets rid of his t-shirt promptly, and slowly crawls back up her body, leaving hot kisses on her skin along the way, until he's back on top of her, looking into her eyes and gently stroking her cheek.  
"Do you know when was the last time I even thought about going for a third round straight away? I can't even remember… So, thank YOU..."  
She giggles and wraps her arms around his neck, planting little butterfly kisses on his lips.  
"You feel so good..."  
This time they make slow, lazy love, a smile on their face and in their eyes, this time she takes the lead, stroking him then pushing him onto his back and riding him, aware of how he fills her so perfectly, how they seem to be two pieces of the same puzzle, how natural and beautiful their love making feels, how they are so deeply connected that they reach their peak at the same time, fingers interlaced, he looking reverently into her gorgeous amber eyes, before she collapses on top of him, and they lay there, curled into each other, sated and content. After a while, he feels her so relaxed in his arms that he whispers in her ear.  
"Don't fall asleep on me yet, tiny woman, there's food waiting for us downstairs… Want me to go get it?"  
She looks up from his chest, and pouts, and again, he finds her irresistible.  
"I'm not tiny! And no… I'm too comfortable to let you move away from me..."  
She remains silent for a long while, tracing lazy patterns on his chest with her fingers and planting tiny feathery kisses on his skin, while one of his hands has found its usual place in her hair, and the other is slowly caressing the leg that's wrapped around him.  
"Abby... You are falling asleep..."  
"I am... Pheromones you know... "  
"Well, I know it doesn't sound romantic, but my pheromones are turning into starving foodomones..."  
"Is that even a word, Marcus? Alright, you win..."  
She flips onto her back on the mattress, and with an overly dramatic sigh, grabs the blanket to hide under it. He quickly steps into his jeans and leaves her grumbling under the blanket with a laugh. Oh God, he thinks walking down, she makes him happy!! He suddenly feels lighter than he has in a long long time, he can't wipe the smile off his face, and yes, sex with her is a revelation... He refuses to think about how wrong what they are getting into is, there will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, he just wants to stay in their little bubble of contentment and savor their time together.

Oh whoa, she thinks, in the delicious state between awake and asleep, she had forgotten what it felt like to make love, and not just have sex. So yes, being with Marcus always made her feel good, that part she knew, but being with Marcus is an experience on a whole different level. She never thought being in his arms would wake all her senses so instantly, somehow making love with him was different from anyone she'd ever been with, and at the same time it felt like he had always been there... He knew… Right away, their bodies connected and talked a familiar language. And... three orgasms? When did this happen before? Jake always told her she was not capable of multiple orgasms, and she did believe it, he always put it under the section "you are way too sensitive, I can't touch you after you've come, so I don't." And now, just thinking about sex with Marcus makes her feel warm in all the right places again...  
He comes back with the boxes of food, and lifts his hand to show her what else he is holding.  
"Look what I found! You do like red wine, right?"  
"Are you planning on getting me drunk, Marcus Kane? You know you don't need to do that, you already got into my pants! And yes, I do like red."  
"I just thought it would be kind of romantic, you know..."  
She blushes and smiles at him.  
"You're sweet… OK, are we just looking at it or are you planning on opening it anytime soon?"  
And as she gets up, as naked as a newborn, he can't help but gape at, again, how perfect she is. And he knows, knows, that she has no idea of the effect she has on people, and on him for sure.  
"Abby... Do you have any idea how perfect you are?"  
"Perfection is subjective, Marcus... But thank you anyway..."  
"Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, but let me tell you, you are perfect in many people's eyes, starting with me..."  
She blushes furiously, and her eyes are shining with tears, all of a sudden. Of course he notices, but doesn't say a word. He suspects it has something to do with her current situation with Jake, and he doesn't want to push her to talk, but decides that he's gonna do everything to make her feel good about herself.  
"My shirt looks better on you, even if you sort of disappear in it.... But I must say, I like you best without it."  
He wins. She smiles her beautiful smile, walks to him and snuggles against his chest again.  
"You make me feel good, Marcus, you make me feel happy... Thank you!"  
"You make me happy too, Abby… Now, let's eat and drink!"  
They sit on the bed, not even bothering with the table or the couch, food between them, and wine on the floor next to them. He sits with his back against the wall, and she faces him, crossed legged, and grabs one of the containers.  
"Can you eat with chopsticks, Marcus?"  
"Mmm, honestly? I'm a bit clumsy, but I manage... You?"  
She doesn't answer, but instead effortlessly grabs a piece of sushi and hands it in front of his mouth with a triumphant smile. He smiles back and lets her feed him, his eyes never leaving her. She looks like a kid, fully engrossed in her task with her chopsticks, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration. She seems carefree and happy, making his heart swell with joy.  
How is it that even sharing a meal together is exhilarating and... sexy, he wonders... How come her heart feels lighter when she looks into his eyes, she marvels... They both realize they were ravenous after all, and devour the whole contents of the take away boxes. Then she discards the empty containers in the trash, and grabs the open bottle of wine before sitting back between his legs and curling up against his chest, taking a sip out of the bottle and handing it to him. He takes a gulp, then places it back on the floor before wrapping his arms around her again, and slides a hand under her shirt to stroke her tummy. Strange how their romantic relationship is so new, and yet feels so natural and almost familiar. Suddenly, she sighs, and moves her head to one side so she can plant a little tiny kiss on his chest.  
"Marcus, I have a confession… Things are not so good at home at the moment… Haven't been for a while, but now, now it's getting... Bad… And when he's mean to me, I shut him off, and my mind drifts to you, and that helps me.... Get through. Even if I couldn't imagine we'd get to this so fast… Or that we'd get to this at all actually...I mean, I was tempted, but..."  
He frowns.  
"What do you mean, he’s mean?"  
She shrugs, not even looking up.  
"Just… never mind, nothing I can't handle, but I just wanted to tell you..."  
"No no no, Abby, look at me… look at me! Is he treating you badly? Has he hurt you? What's happening?"  
"If you're asking if he’s hitting me, no he's not, don't worry."  
"I do worry! I am worried! Tell me! Please!"  
She remains silent for a while, then moves away from him, lying down on the bed, next to him, biting her lip, and she starts absentmindedly tracing little patterns on his leg with her finger.  
She says with a strangled little voice:  
"Marcus? I shouldn't have mentioned it at all but I thought you needed to know that I hadn't planned on… Oh God, I'm not ready to talk about it… Please? I'd rather you hold me close and we talk about something else? I'm ruining the mood, I'm so sorry, I'm an idiot!"  
Immediately, he slides on the bed next to her.  
"Hey, don't say that..."  
"It's just… Just I don't want to think I'm looking for something other than... What we have right now. I don't want to ruin your marriage, you know..."  
"You are not ruining anything Abby, don't you dare add that to your worries. I'm a big boy, we find comfort in one another, we're in this together! But I don't like what you just confessed… So promise me, promise me to run away from Jake before something bad happens! Promise me you'll talk to me when you're ready!"  
She whispers.  
"Nothing bad will happen… But I promise… I do… I promise... You make me hope, Marcus... You also make me feel safe...Thank you."  
“Safe? Abby, are you in danger?”  
“No, no, I didn’t mean like that! It’s just… Sometimes I just need all my energy to… keep having faith in myself, I suppose… And it drives me mad!”  
He grabs her chin and lifts her beautiful face, only to realize her eyes are shining with tears, despite the sweet smile on her lips. So he starts peppering little soft kisses on her eyelids, moving slowly to her cheeks, hands running into her hair, then their lips meet and he pulls her to him. She sighs into his mouth and surrenders to his touch. He's slow, and soft, and caring, moving down and up her body again and kissing and caressing every inch of her skin.  
They're on their sides, in each other's arms, looking into each other's eyes, when he gently grabs her leg and wraps it around him, then slowly, slowly enters her, without breaking eye contact, he keeps whispering in between kisses and pecks.  
"Beautiful, loveable Abby, you're caring, you're warm, you're smart, you're talented, you're strong, you're sweet, don’t let him make you believe otherwise, and... I won't let anyone hurt you... You are my tiny sunshine..."  
He just wants to make love to her to make her feel better, his hand on her face, his forehead touching hers, looking deeply into her eyes while slowly pushing inside her, she's soft and pliant, she lets herself be surrounded by his warmth and care, how attuned to her and tender he is and it almost brings tears to her eyes again. They come together in a breath, a deep but soft orgasm, nothing like the others they just had before. She can't stop stroking his face, looking at him with awe, mesmerized by how caring and so so gentle and generous he is. How did she get to be so lucky, suddenly, she wonders. He slides out of her but doesn't let her go, instead wrapping himself around her like a shell. Curling up in his arms, she whispers:  
"Thank you..."

Funny how as "tiny" as he jokes she is, somehow he never saw her as fragile or vulnerable. Funny how these days though, he suddenly realized there is another Abby behind that strong shell of hers. And he wants to take care of her. All of her.


	9. Professionals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the delay in posting, but life happened...And then some...Thank you for reading, and comments are welcome!!!

Chapter 9 - Professionals.

6 am. The buzzer of Marcus' phone jolts him awake, and it takes him a good minute to remember where he is. Long golden brown locks are tickling his nose, and he smiles into her hair. Sometime during the night they moved, but they are still totally entangled in one another. He has spooned her and has engulfed her as close as possible in his arms, holding her tight against his chest. She has slid her hands in his, and her legs have captured one of his. It looks like neither of them wanted to let the other go throughout the night, in case it had just been a dream, in case something would come and tear them apart.

He breathes her in, she smells sweet, the fruity scent of her hair mixed with sweat, sex and something else that is so just Abby… He smiles again, and softly kisses her neck, to wake her up as gently as possible.  
She stirs a little, tightens her hold on his hands, and moves her head so he can gain better access to her skin. Then she giggles.  
"Oh dear, someone seems happy to see me this morning!"  
"Are you complaining? Tell me you'd rather have a wakeup cheek kiss instead!"  
She laughs at that, and it's music to his ears.  
"No, airhead, I was referring to this…"  
And she wiggles her arse against his already growing erection. He bursts out laughing and lightly bites the hollow of her neck, while slowly sliding one of his hands down all the way to her core, happy to find her already wet and eager.  
"Ha! Excuse me but what is this exactly? Someone is happy to see me too this morning it feels like…"  
She's suddenly lost her cheekiness, because as soon as his fingers have started softly rubbing her there, she's gone.  
"God Marcus, what are you doing to me? And here I thought I no longer enjoyed sex…"  
He frowns at that, another half revelation that makes him anxious about her relationship with her husband… But he doesn't comment, concentrating instead on entering her from behind. She moans, and sighs, and reaches out, turning her head to capture his lips into an open kiss.  
"I love love love to feel you inside me…"  
His hand remains on her sex, rubbing her clit in rhythm with his thrusting inside her, his other hand is softly stroking her breasts, while she's caressing his leg and has hooked her other arm behind her, around his neck.  
Another few thrusts and he follows her over the edge with a long moan.  
"Abby I gotta say I haven't had such a great night in a long long time…"  
"And a beautiful wake up call too… Thank you Marcus… For… More than you know… Now, we need to get going. They are gonna arrive in no time, we should get ready. We both need a shower, and breakfast!"  
"Ok, so why don’t you go and shower while I order breakfast? If we go down together I can't certify we will be able to exit the shower with dignity… Or in time to go unnoticed…"  
She's still sprawled on top of him, chin on his shoulder and playing with his chest hair, and hides her face against his skin at that.  
"Oh my goodness, this could be so embarrassing… You're right..."  
He smiles down at her, and lightly slaps her butt.  
"Alright tiny sunshine, stop turning me on and get moving now! Before I change my mind and lock us up in this dungeon forever!"  
She laughs and sits up, but instead of getting out of bed, she reaches for his cheek and starts to gently stroke his beard, eyes following her hand. She seems lost in thought, all of a sudden, and he gets a bit concerned at her silence.  
"Abby? Tell me…"  
That seems to shake her out of her reverie, and her eyes meet his, her gaze softens and her smile reappears, albeit tainted with a modicum of.... sadness? Thoughtfulness?  
"I was just wondering… How did this happen… How did we happen… How come it feels so… natural to be with you? It's liberating somehow to be with you… But… How am I gonna cope without you now…"  
"Hey, don't go there just yet, ok? Who says you're gonna have to cope without me? I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. And yes, it does feel natural to be together. I haven't felt this content in… I don't know really! So let's not ask ourselves the wrong questions now, ok? Each day is a new day…"  
"But you know we will have to ask ourselves the question sooner or later."  
"I do know, but at this very moment I'm here for you and you're here for me and let's leave it at that, alright? Hey, hey, no no no please don't cry, please Abby, just try to stay in our bubble, it shouldn't make you sad. Not now, not ever!"  
He sits up and gently wraps her in his arms again. She rests her forehead against his chest and slips her hands into his hair.  
"I know, I know, I'm just stupid, I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. I should just enjoy the time we have together, but I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all… And… And..."

But she can't bring herself to say what she's so afraid of. She can't tell him she is scared of ruining his marriage, because surely it would mean that she's already taking their affair seriously, and she needs to convince herself otherwise most and foremost, even though if she stops and thinks for a second, she knows she's falling in love with him. Hard…

So instead of voicing her thoughts, she looks up and captures his lips one more time, wrapping her arms around his neck and pouring all her affection and gratitude into their kiss, hoping, and somehow knowing that he understands. When she lets go,she's smiling again, and he dries her tears with his thumbs, smiling back at her, and whispers.  
"Remember, don't overthink it all, it will be fine, you'll see. Now...Go!"  
She presses her forehead to his and nods slowly, then gets up and grabs her discarded clothes that she hastily throws on, but before reaching the door she turns around and says with a little smile.  
"Oh, and Marcus? I am not tiny!"  
He laughs, glad that she's decided to lighten the mood after all.  
"Oh but you are so! And you are MY tiny sunshine, remember? Now, GO for God's sake!"

…..

Somehow they do manage to shower separately, And when breakfast is delivered, they have both shed their "lover attire" to switch to their professional selves.The office is filling up slowly, and they are both surprised at how easy it is to find their usual vibe, to be back as Abby and Marcus, newscaster and editor in chief. So when Raven smugly asks:  
“So, how was your night?”, none of them raise an eyebrow, and Abby just looks straight into Raven’s eyes and says:  
“Surprisingly relaxing, but otherwise uneventful!”  
Marcus tries really hard to not roll his eyes at that, and smiles at Raven with a small nod. Uneventful, right, what a great choice of word!

They all go their separate way between the team meeting, each gathering all the new info that they could use for tonight’s program. Abby and Jackson are reviewing all the new info regarding the climate change issues and their dear president’s position and thoughts on the subject. Abby can't help rolling her eyes, while Eric says:  
“Well, if only he wasn’t our president, we could laugh about it, right?”  
“Yes, but I don’t think we can do that on national television unfortunately...”  
She sighs and links her fingers behind her head, looking at the ceiling.  
“Damn man, how can we manage to look serious when all that comes out of his mouth is a total joke? This is so embarrassing…”  
“We can run this by our boss, and the whole team actually, maybe they have interesting stuff to review, and we won’t have to address that… Or maybe someone can come up with an idea, although in that field, I think you truly are the best.”  
She turns to him, visibly surprised and touched by his compliment.  
“Why, thank you so much, Eric, that’s really nice of you to say!”  
“What did you say that was so nice, Jax?”  
“Oh hi boss! I was just saying Abby is definitely the best at finding a way to make something embarrassing or annoying worth listening to.”  
“Oh yes, she is! She is actually the real boss here, she is the brain, and I’m barely the mouth!”  
At that she feels herself blush furiously, and tries to hide it behind a large smile.  
“Thank you guys, you’re making my heart swell! What a nice way to start the day!”  
She can’t miss Marcus’ raised eyebrow at that comment and the twinkle in his eyes.  
“Yeah, I know nothing better to start a day than to be showered with compliments by two colleagues!”

Their eyes meet and they lock gazes, and she doesn’t think she can blush more without actually self-combusting. She suddenly becomes self-conscious though, afraid that Jackson will start wondering what this is all about.  
“Anyway, Marcus, why are you here? Surely you didn’t come all the way to my office to marvel at my skills, right? So, give!”  
“Right, I was just coming to get you guys for the meeting, and to see if you had a genius idea on your own about the coverage of the climate change.”  
Jackson starts laughing at that.  
“Well then it does look like we're all thinking the same then! This was actually our topic of conversation when you interrupted us.”  
“Climate change, which climate change? Our president is saying it is not happening, so I don’t see what you’re talking about…”  
“Says the tiny tornado… Ok people, let’s go meet the team!”  
“Marcuuuuus….”  
“ I know, you’re not tiny! Right, ok, come on, tornado, lead the way!”

She snorts before getting up and grabbing her laptop. Jackson disappears behind the door, and Marcus looks at her with soft eyes and a smile on his lips.  
“Marcus… You’re staring… What are you looking at?”  
“You! I’m looking at you! Compliments first thing in the morning make you glow… You are simply stunning!”

She blushes again, wondering if this is gonna become a habit from now on, and if she should start getting used to her crimson cheeks…  
“You should know a woman is always receptive to compliments, sir! It’s all it takes to make her feel beautiful and worth it.”  
“Oh? All it takes really? I sure will remember this from now on, if it’s as simple as that…”  
“Yeah well, you know, if I am completely honest, I’d say it really could be a combination of beautiful things though…”  
“Such as?”  
“Marcus… Stop with the flirting! I’m trying very hard to remain professional here, you know, and right now you are not helping!”  
“Oops, I’m sorry sunshine, but I’m feeling quite light this morning, thanks to you, and rested, and… Happy! So bear with my cheekiness for a bit, will you? Oh, and is it bad of me to want to kiss you right now?”  
“Yes, yes it IS bad of you! We said we would remain sort of distant today, remember? You do remember, right? It was only a few hours ago!”  
He sighs dramatically at that, and turns to the door. but before he has a chance to go out in the hall, he hears her voice behind him.  
“And for the record… I do want to kiss you too right now. In fact, I want to kiss you all the time. We… Can’t let that happen, you know?”  
He smiles at that, turning around to look at her with puppy eyes.  
“You’re right of course, you’re right! But you know? I’m happy to hear you say you want to kiss me… It means we’ll find a way to do that at some point before the day is over. Right?”  
She blushes and looks at her feet, trying to regain some sort of composure.  
“This is terribly tempting at the moment, but stay away from me, you tease!”  
“You are avoiding my question here…”  
She shakes her head with a little smile and walks out the door ahead of him, but just as she passes by him, she lets her hand slide across his back, and in a breath she whispers:  
“I’m sure we can manage that…”  
He follows her out with a large smile on his face, and instantly raises Bellamy’s suspicion as they enter the meeting room last.

“What are you grinning at? Anything we don’t know that you’d like to share with the crowd?”  
“Many things you don’t know, child, but no, I’m afraid I can’t share this time!”  
“Does any of it concern Trump?”  
“I wish he would make me smile, but I don’t have it in me, no. Sorry... Alright people, let’s get going! We need to start investigating a bit more on everything that’s been said in this country about climate change, and then compare with the international news. This is a job for the next few days, I’d really like us to come up with a good story line involving the difference between what is said around the world, and the different ways countries deal with it and what has been set in motion, here and everywhere else. My goal being to raise awareness about actions, or lack of, and the fact that we are running out of time if we want to save our planet.”  
“Meanwhile, we still keep an eye on Mr President’s impeachment and get ready for it to happen, although to be honest it won’t change much in the near future I’m afraid… Questions, anyone? None? Then let’s get to work! I’d like us to start tonight with introducing a series about the climate. So let’s make an open thread and pitch in as we go. I’ll call another meeting by 4pm so we know what we’re doing and where we’re gonna go. Have fun, ladies and gentlemen!”

Each of them walks back to their own office or desk and the room starts buzzing with energy and beeping computers. Marcus moves from one desk to the other all throughout the day, and Abby buries herself in the job, alternating between checking with Bellamy to be on the same page, and Marcus for validation. They manage to get completely involved in the work they have ahead of them, and time flies, and suddenly it's 11pm and everyone is done for the day.

"I just came up to say goodnight."  
"Oh wow, you're ready to go home already? That was a fast change!"  
She smiles and shrugs. Yes, she's smiling, but her eyes are sad, he can feel something is not quite right even though she's bravely trying to cover it up with her big smile and firm posture.  
"You're gonna be fine, right?"  
Her smile fades a bit, and she shrugs again.  
"Yes, yes, I'll be ok, I need to be there, and there's nothing that he can do that I'm not used to anyway...I think... Plus you know, he does love me, and I do love him, it's just that...It seems sometimes we can't understand each other..."  
"Oh well, I know exactly what you mean. It must be a part of being with the same person for so many years? I don't know, sometimes I feel we miss the point."

They stare at each other then, without a word, yet they seem to communicate and feel what the other is thinking. He walks to her and gently grabs her hand, then softly whispers.  
"You'll let me know if something feels wrong, or if you need me, right?"

She's staring at their joined hands, he's softly caressing her fingers, and this simple gesture still sends shivers down her spine. She lets go of his hand, suddenly, and takes one step to crash against him, and wraps her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest.  
"I promise, I will. But I don't want you to worry, I WILL be fine. Thank you, Marcus, thank you for being here for me. I don't deserve you and your friendship. Nor anything that results from it."  
He's wrapped his arms around her too, and slides his hand under her hair to stroke her neck, while softly rocking them back and forth.  
"Oh, Abby, I don't know, I just don't want to let you go..."  
She laughs a little laugh into his shirt.  
"It's just for the night, Marcus, I'll be back in 7 hours max!"  
"I know, I know, it's just… I haven't seen you most of the day, and I've missed you."  
She looks up, her eyes are twinkling again, and she smiles at him.  
"What are you talking about? You've seen me all day, for God's sake, you had us work like dogs and you kept popping into my office! At this point I'm surprised you aren't sick of me yet, actually!"  
He turns really soft at that, and slides his hand on her cheek to cup her face.  
"You know what I mean..."  
She turns soft and almost emotional too, and kisses his palm.  
"Yes, I know what you mean... We did good, we behaved like we said we would!"  
"Can we stop behaving like we said we would for a minute, and use this moment to do what we said we would eventually before the day is over?"  
"Refresh my memory here... What did we say again?"  
"Oh, you're such a big tease!"  
"Oh really? I'm big now? When did that happen? I'm usually tiny this and tiny that..."  
"See? I'm good at learning! So, care to stop being a tease and be my tiny sunshine again?"

She laughs her throaty laugh that he always finds so sexy, and loops her arms around his neck. There's a twinkle in her eyes, and all he wants to do if he's totally honest with himself is lift her up and carry her back to that bed in the corner and learn more about her body and the taste of her skin, and fall asleep with her securely tucked into his arms.  
"I know what you're thinking, and I'd love that too, but it is not wise, we can't... I need to get home, and so do you, mister!"  
"You're right, once again... But I'm sure I'm gonna be the lucky guy who gets at least a goodnight kiss..."  
"Oh, and what could possibly make you think that I wonder?"  
"You wonder? Well, let me guess… You always wrap your arms around people's necks to just say goodnight... You have that twinkle in your beautiful chocolate chip eyes every time you're ready to leave... You press your whole TINY body against me because you... Well, you tell me why..."  
She laughs and laughs, and it makes his heart swell with joy, he just realizes he adores when she looks happy and carefree, and is proud to be the one who's responsible for that right now.  
"Alright you airhead, you win! Let me see what i can do to keep you happy somehow!"  
And oh so slowly, she presses her lips on his neck, then moves up to his jaw, his cheek... Her kisses are as soft as a whisper, but as long as the breath he's letting out each time her lips leave his skin, only to be back on a different spot, slowly moving to his ear, lightly biting his ear lobe, then going back on his face, while he's thinking he had no idea such "innocent" kissing could suddenly become so sexy. But then again, these days everything about her is sexy to his eyes...He suddenly feels the tip of her tongue at the corner of his mouth, and he slightly turns his head so she can have complete access, but she lightly moves away with a chuckle, and aims at the corner again. And then starts a game of cat and mouse, his lips chasing hers in a desperate but playful attempt to get that real kiss right now. The pace changes suddenly, when she surrenders to him and let her lips slide fully onto his. Suddenly all he wants to do is devour her completely, drink in the sweet taste of her tongue until he's fully sated, and stay there, his arms tightly wrapped around her, for the rest of the night. Of course she gets it, of course she matches his frenzy, standing on her toes and grabbing his hair to get impossibly closer to him. But as soon as he slides his hand under her shirt, she pushes him away, and detangles herself from him.  
She's trying to catch her breath, so is he, and in that moment they both know that her choosing to stop there was the right thing to do.

"Oh my goodness, Marcus, this was..."  
"Unexpectedly hot?"  
He smiles mischievously.  
"I wasn't expecting any less to be honest. But as always, you are the wise one. If we had kept going, we would sleep here, and that's not what we want, right?"  
"That's not… We're going home, and we're going now..."

They both think at the same time that they're lying, of course it is what they want, but the reality is less romantic and sexy… They need to go home. Separately. So he grabs her hand and kisses her fingers.  
"Drive safe and text me when you're home, ok?"  
She smiles softly, and caresses his cheek.  
"You drive safe too. I'll see you in the morning, bright and early. Goodnight Marcus."  
"Goodnight, sunshine."


	10. The new normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update, but what can I say... Life happens! Thanks to those who are still here! I'll try to update faster... In the mean time, stay safe everyone!

Chapter 10. The new normal.

Morning comes and Abby gets in a bit later then usual, to the point Marcus has started growing concerned about her. Just as he's reaching for his phone to text her and ask is everything is alright, his email notification beeps with a new message from her.

"Hey, where is my coffee? Is this a punishment for getting in late?"  
He smiles and breathes a sigh of relief.  
"Good morning to you too, sunshine! Whatever happened to your manners, may I ask?"  
"They disappeared the second my eyes failed to notice the big cup of fresh coffee sitting on my desk, actually…"

He laughs in front of his screen, and grabs his phone to order some, but instead walks up to the beautiful, sophisticated and hardly used coffee machine in the corner of the room. Pushes a few buttons, then goes back to his keyboard.

"Your tiny majesty will be served in about five minutes, if she can survive that much. Oh, one condition, though… She needs to use her tiny sexy feet to come up those stairs and get her cup with her own hands. I'm afraid delivery is temporarily out of service."

He sits there for a minute, waiting for the computer to beep with her incoming answer, but instead, there's a brief knock on the door, and there she is, standing in front of him, hands on her hips, and a huge smile on her lips.

"Seriously, Marcus? That's all you could come up with to get me up here first thing in the morning?"  
"Well, you know the drill… Report to base, they say, so, since you were not coming of your own free will, I had to use your Achille's heel, coffee!"  
"And risk making me grumpy for the rest of the day?"  
"Well, I think I now know a thing or two about how to make you feel better…"  
She blushes furiously at that, and crosses her arms on her chest.  
"That's low, Kane, very low…"  
"Oh, where's the witty answer? Is this all you could come up with? Tss, Griffin, you must be tired, or… flustered, or… something… Now, are you coming or not?"

She finally seems to give up, closes the door behind her and walks to him as he stands and opens his arms. He wraps her in his arms, and feels her smile against his chest. He kisses her hair and softly whispers.

"Hi! I was worried."  
She looks up at that, takes a step away from him with a soft sigh, and softly strokes his cheek.  
"That is so cute, Marcus, thank you.I'm fine. Did you sleep well?"  
"Like a log!"

But that's a lie. Truth is, he spent half the night awake thinking about her, worrying about what exactly Jake is doing to make her feel so bad, suddenly, worrying that she will still pretend she's fine and tough and can handle things. He racked his brain to try to come up with a way to make her talk more openly about what is happening at home, and to trust him with everything, to make her understand she doesn't need to handle everything alone. But he doesn't want to push her, he doesn't want to make her feel like he thinks she's incapable of dealing with her own business. Abby is fierce and strong, she is usually the one everyone comes to when there's a problem, It's important for her to feel in charge, it's important for him to support her, but to also show his awe and the admiration he has for her. And the only thing he could come up with is letting her take the lead, but making sure she knows he is her safe place whenever she needs, in whichever form.  
And right now, it looks like she has decided to not get into too much "physical contact", because she's already moved away from him and towards the coffee machine. It's a strange feeling for him, to suddenly realize he really really wants to touch her, that although one night only has passed, he already misses her touch and her kisses and…  
So, his resolve flies right through the window, as he stands right behind her, lightly rests his hands on her hips, and whispers into her hair.

"How was your night?"  
"Uneventful, and surprisingly peaceful for once!"  
"Haven't I heard that phrase before?"  
She laughs and with a sigh, lays her back against his chest.  
"I know what you want to hear, Marcus, so trust me when I say it was fine. He was sleeping when I got home and left before I woke up. And to be honest, I was glad, I guess I wasn't completely ready to face him you know?"  
He can't resist and wraps his arms around her.  
"Yes, I know what you mean…"

As he reaches for her neck with his lips, peppering butterfly kisses up to her jaw, she melts against him, and slightly tilts her head to grant him access to more skin, but at the same time she sighs.

"Marcus, as much as I like this, we said… we said we would behave remember? Really we shouldn't… Marcus, stop!"  
He doesn't let her go, but stops his kisses.  
"Do you want me to stop?"  
"Yes! I mean, no, but yes… We can't… I mean, I could get used to that, and it's not what we want. Is it?"  
He slowly lets her go then, and takes a step back, running his fingers in his hair.  
"Yeah, you're right, as usual, but… May I get a little good morning kiss?"  
"May I get my coffee first? I couldn't have breakfast at home this morning, so it's a matter of life and death you know…"  
He instantly grows suspicious.  
"Why? Did you oversleep?"  
"Oh no, it was just that we ran out of coffee grains and I hadn’t noticed, there was some yesterday but Jake must have finished it last night… He’s just like you and me, anyway there was a… note."  
He grabs her hair gently and moves it to one side, then bends over her shoulder.  
"The note said the coffee was all gone?"  
She shrugs and pours herself a big cup.  
"You want some too?"  
"Yes please. So, the note…"  
"Said I once again failed my duty as a wife and my job is more important than "real life"..."  
She turns around and hands him his mug.  
"Actually, that's not the exact words, but that's what it meant. Oh well, what can I say, so I didn't get any coffee this morning, so be it! I suppose I deserved it somehow."  
"What? No! Absolutely not! It was not a big deal to forget coffee, come on!"  
She smiles at him, and shrugs again.  
"I know… Don't worry, it's fine, it didn't get to me...I just knew that I would get some on my way here, or here!"

He waits, but it looks like she's done talking, and he doesn't want to push her too much, he has to trust that she's telling him the truth and that it didn't affect her more than she's letting show. He is affected though. It’s the kind of detail he hates to imagine her dealing with, and he suspects there are lots more happening, piling up to slowly eat her up, and he hates it, hates to be powerless against that type of bullying. She sits on his desk, sipping her coffee with a look of absolute bliss on her face, and once again he marvels at how stunning she is, her long hair loose and framing her beautiful face. She's looking at him over the rim of her mug.

"Marcus Kane, you're staring! Stop it!"  
"What? You never stare at what you find amazing, Abby Griffin?"  
"Oh I don't know, sir, you're looking at me like some precious jewel in a window that you can't ever have, it's a bit disturbing…"  
"No, I'm more looking at you like you're a beautiful cake that I wanna eat but that's out of reach…"  
She blushes furiously at that, then a mischievous smile appears on her face.  
"Not out of reach, but bad for you! Cholesterol and all, you know? Sugar is bad for you, old man!"  
He raises an eyebrow.  
"Who's the old man here? I'm sorry, I don't see anyone other than you and me… and oh, look!"  
And in one swift motion he sets his mug on the desk next to her, grabs her knees and gently pushes them open, while stepping between them and wrapping his arms loosely around her small frame.  
"I've just decided that this pastry is not so unreachable after all, and I've stepped into the bakery to raise my sugar levels!"  
She bursts out laughing and puts her cup next to his, and locks her arms around his neck.  
"You're such a dork, I love it!”

He’s mesmerized by the transformation he sees in her, suddenly. She’s turning all soft in his arms. Her eyes are shining, her smile is tender, and she has that dreamy look as she lightly runs her fingers along his jaw, obviously enjoying the feel of his beard under her hand, moving to his lips, eyes following the path of her fingers, and when he softly kisses her palm as she’s moving to his cheek, she tilts her head to the side and looks into his eyes.

“How do you do it, Marcus? How do you always manage to make me feel better in a minute? It’s not a new thing, you know, if I’m really honest, so, how do you do it?"  
"I'm sorry, miss, but some things can't be shared. I could tell you my secret, but then I'd have to kill you, and that would be such a waste! So, where were we? Oh right, upping the sugar levels!"

And as she opens her mouth to answer, he crashes his lips against hers, and leaves her no choice as he invades her with his tongue. But of course, he didn't need to worry, because she responds as fiercely as he hoped she would, running her fingers in his hair, something she seems to really really enjoy, and starting a dance of tongues where she takes the lead, wrapping her legs around him to get him closer and pressing her whole body against him. He feels strong, and warm, and protective, and she feels an overwhelming wave of… something in his arms. He slides his hands under her loose t-shirt and as soon as he starts caressing her back, her skin erupts in goosebumps and she gets warm in all the right places. And… She's lost! "How does he do it? What's happening?" she thinks… She can't remember the last time that feeling happened with Jake.The second Marcus touches her, she wants him, all of him, and her brain gets all foggy and has a hard time reasoning. Her whole body screams need and she feels herself melt like butter in the sun. Yet he has only touched her back, for God's sake! They break the kiss, breathless, and she sighs with a smile, looking straight into his eyes, gently playing with the short hair at the nape of his neck. His eyes are shining with desire, his pupils have turned almost black, and he looks just as sexy and adorable as in the last thought she had last night before falling asleep.

"Griffin, you're staring!"  
"Yes sorry, I was actually wondering how you manage to turn me on just by touching my back…"  
"Oh that's interesting, I was wondering how you have the ability to turn me on just by entering a room!"  
"Aw that is very cute, thank you for this!"

He smiles his magnetic smile and bends a little to resume their kissing, but this time it's soft and sexy, and she just has time to savour the taste of coffee on his tongue before he trails his lips down to her neck, whispering:

"Gosh I want you so bad right now…"  
"Marcus, this is insane…"  
But her body refutes what her mouth is saying, because at the same time she slides a little on the desk so her core can press on his already growing erection, and tightens her grip around him with her legs.  
"Abby, I know it is, but I really really want you…"  
"Then have me… Have me! I want you too, this is crazy and we need to talk about it ...Oh…"  
In one easy motion, he has unzipped her jeans,lifted her off the desk just enough to push her pants and underwear out of the way, and sat her back down again. She hasn't even realized she let go long enough that he could get rid of her clothes and unzip his own jeans. She hastily opens 2 buttons of his shirt and starts attacking his chest, while they both reach for each other at the same time.  
"God you're so wet already!"  
"That's the Marcus effect! And you're so hard already! I need you inside me Marcus, and I need it now!"  
"Oh yeah? Caffeine's kicking in already?"  
"Shut up Kane and fuck me now!"  
In a heartbeat, he has pulled on her legs to get her on the edge of the desk and pushed inside her at the same time. She gasps and clings to his neck. He stops for a while, and looks into her eyes.  
"Ok?"  
"Oh my goodness, yes, yes, it's more than ok.It's fabulous, it's… Why did you stop?"  
“You’re so tiny and tight, I’m always cautious of hurting you…”  
Her eyes grow soft instantly, and she peppers tiny sensual kisses along his jaw.  
“But that’s the thing, see, I know you will never hurt me, besides, have you noticed we fit together like–”  
“Two pieces of the same puzzle? Yes, I have, right away, actually…”  
“Marcus… As much as I’d love to carry on with this conversation, you are killing the mood here! So shut up and kiss me now!”  
“Always happy to comply and satisfy a lady!”

And he swallows her laugh by crashing his lips on hers and grabbing her ass to push further into her. He’s fast and tender at the same time, she already seems to know where to touch him, where to kiss him and he already can feel and get all the signs her body is sending, He also knows she usually closes her eyes when she comes, but today he wants to see her, so as the first shivers start to shake her tiny frame, he gently grabs her chin and, picking up the pace, softly kisses her lips, whispering:  
“Look at me, sunshine, I want to watch you come…”  
Her cheeks are burning, her eyes are blazing, her hair is dishevelled, and he thinks at that moment she looks like the goddess of sex. Suddenly she grabs his neck and buries her face in his shoulder. She’s trying to muffle the sharp cry that erupted with her orgasm, and that pushes him over the edge immediately. He buries his own strangled sob into her hair, and they lay like that for a bit, catching their breath, hands drawing lazy patterns on the other’s body, mouths planting random kisses in slow motion, until she looks up and meets his eyes, and breaks into the biggest smile he’s seen on her since she arrived this morning. He keeps nuzzling her neck and cheek, revelling in the fruity scent of her hair, while she has nestled her face against his shoulder and can’t stop running her hands on his bare back, under his shirt. They remain in this position for what seems like forever, truth is he doesn’t want to let go, he loves having her curled against him, feeling her breath in sync with his, he loves her sensual caresses, truth is she feels like she belongs in his arms, listening to the steady beats of his heart, to the light humming he’s doing without even noticing while he still runs his hands on her skin. 

“Wow, I mean… How hot was that? I… I love when you’re inside me, and it’s odd but I can feel you all around me too, I can’t explain it better,.. What are you doing to me Marcus? I swore to myself that I wouldn’t behave wildly today, and it took the biggest part of what, 10 minutes? To surrender to the want…”  
“Abby, do we really have to get into those heavy discussions every time we have sex?”  
“Are we, Marcus? Having sex? Because to me it feels more like making love, and trust me, I know all about the difference between the two...”

She pushes a little on his chest and jumps off the desk, stealing a soft kiss before retrieving her clothes from the floor, and stepping away from him at the same time. He sighs and hastily zips up, and grabs her arm just as she’s about to walk away from him.

“Abby, come here. Can you- stop fidgeting for a minute? Can you just enjoy what just happened and not beat yourself up? Because this is where your mind is going, right?”  
She has stopped moving and is just standing there, in front of him, obviously already lost in thought, but her hand is slowly reaching for his , and her big smile is already starting to creep up her face.  
“I am enjoying this, Marcus, believe me, I am, but I just can’t help wondering what’s happening here, though, and it scares me a little bit…”  
“Don’t! Don’t be scared! Please, you gotta trust me, do you trust me?”  
“Of course I trust you! I would trust you with my life, you know that. It’s just…”  
He pulls her to him once again, wraps her in his arms and drops a kiss to her hair.  
“Stop! Abby listen to me, what happens in this office stays in this office, that is all we need to focus on for now. We’re here for each other and we take comfort and some sort of solace in our love making and everything else that we have. Nothing else is gonna change, only it might make us a little stronger, a little less lonely… And yes, I agree, it is making love, and not just having sex, because this is us.This is who we are and how we now relate to one another. We love each other, God you are the best friend I have ever had, did you think there was no love in that?”

She has listened carefully to his speech, head nestled on his shoulder and fingers gently playing with the thin hairs of his chest. She looks up then, eyes shining with emotion, and smiles as she frames his face in both hands, silently, and it scares him a little bit, she is such a chatterbox most of the time! Then starts tracing his features with feathery touches, obviously she just loves doing that, running a finger along his jaw, then reaching out for his mouth and gently caressing his lips;  
“What on earth did I do to deserve someone like you in my life? Where were you, the first 50 years of my life? I know there has always been that special connection between us, I just don’t ever want to lose it, I don’t ever want it to change… It won’t, right? We will always be friends, no matter which shape or form it takes, you will always be in my life, right?”  
“Yes, yes and yes! You won't get rid of me easily, Griffin, so stop overthinking stuff, and maybe, let’s think about the second part of our lives, you know, this thing called work?”  
He is so proud of himself then, as she starts giggling like a schoolgirl, and he catches a new glimpse of the carefree Abby which is often lying dormant these days.She lightly kisses his lips before turning around and grabbing her cup of coffee.  
“Thank you, Marcus, you can’t even begin to know how grateful I am...To be working with you of course! And how lucky to have a boss who has a coffee machine that’s gonna give me a refill before I head down and dig into the new bulletin that probably invaded my computer as we speak.”


	11. What is love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I don't know if anyone is still reading, but if you are, comments are welcome... Please?

CHAPTER 11- What is love

Thursday comes, after a rather quiet wednesday, where no exciting or unexpected news pops up, and both Abby and Marcus end their day pleased with themselves, and with each other, Abby happy to see that Marcus is able to remain completely professional, yet keeping their usual banter and light joking alive in front of everyone. And Marcus is really glad that she didn’t recoil from his light flirting and seemed to remain in a good mood all day long. Of course he managed to steal a few kisses over lunch, when she once again erupted into his office to help herself to another coffee, and when the time came for them to go home, she had walked up to his office and let him wrap her in his arms, and whisper words of comfort before she left to go home. She promised, again, that she would let him know if anything was wrong, and he told her again and again his phone would be on and close to him all throughout the night. At which she had looked at him with soft eyes, stroked his cheek softly, and whispered:  
“You know you worry too much, Marcus. It’s not as bad as you think, I promise, nothing I can’t handle, it’s simply annoying, not life threatening.”  
“Whatever you say, sunshine, I just want you to know that I’m here, ok?”  
She had kissed his lips lightly.  
‘I know… Thank you for that… Have faith in me?”  
“Always!”

Now he hears her heels click on the stairs first thing in the morning, and as soon as the door opens, his heart melts. She looks perfect, her hair tied in a ponytail that’s swinging down her back, making her look like a beautiful mature Raven Reyes, her long legs showing in her sheer tights, because yes, Abby Griffin is actually wearing a dress.   
“Oh my goodness, Abby, you are absolutely gorgeous this morning!”  
“Good morning to you too, Marcus, what happened to your manners suddenly?”  
“They flew out the window the second I witnessed my co worker in that amazing dress! A dress, Mrs Griffin, what happened?”  
“Oh for God’s sake, Kane, even if I appreciate the compliment, may I add that this is so sexist! Come on, surely you can do better than that!”  
“Give me a minute, I might find my manners and retrieve my speech on equality… You know this WAS a genuine compliment, though, right? I would probably say the same to Bellamy, if he ever was wearing such a cute garment…”  
She bursts out laughing and walks to him, wraps her arms around his neck and locks lips with him. He crushes her against his chest and revels in the taste of her mouth. She has already had coffee, he can taste it, and something else, sweeter, milkier somehow, and instantly he just wants more of her.  
As she breaks the kiss, he whispers.  
“You taste so good, god I wanna taste all of you!”  
“No no no no no… We can’t start each morning with making love on your desk, Marcus, this is not supposed to happen, and you know it, so please, don’t tempt me!”  
“Who said anything about my desk, Abby? There is still a bed, there’s a couch we haven’t really tried yet, look around you, there are walls too…”  
“Marcus!!! Stop! Ok, we need to set up some new rules, you airhead! “  
“Abbyyyyyyyy….”  
“Oh don’t you start whining, mister, you‘re gonna weaken my resolve… So, no sex on a regular basis. Kissing is allowed and touching is welcome, but we are not horny teenagers, and…. This can’t happen!”  
“What is “this” exactly?”  
“You know exactly what I mean, don’t make me say it! You know very well that we can’t risk being seen, and if we disappear every single morning, people are gonna start wondering and be suspicious.”  
“Well, it doesn’t have to be mornings…”  
And with that, he bends and starts nuzzling her neck, dropping little wet kisses behind her ear, down the hollow of her shoulder, back up to her pulse point, lightly running his hands along her sides and resting on her waist, and despite what she just said, she tilts her head to give him more access to her skin, feeling somehow betrayed by her own body which is craving his touch.  
“Marcus, God, have you heard a word of what I said?”  
“Mmm mmm…”  
“Marcus…”  
“I hear you, I got it, I understand … You don’t much care for the desk… And it doesn’t have to only be mornings, it can also be afternoons, or evenings… Oh, and kissing is welcome and touching is mandatory, I like mandatory, actually… See, I think I’ve got this…”  
She rolls her eyes and as she opens her mouth to answer him, a gasp escapes her instead, because his hand has sneaked up her leg and all her coherent thoughts suddenly fly out the window. And in the blink of an eye, she changes gears, grabs his hair and pulls, until she can reach his mouth with hers, but just before completely surrendering to him, she whispers against his lips.  
“How can I resist you? You’re incorrigible, how can I make you be reasonable? How can I remain reasonable? What are you doing to me Marcus?”  
She’s also walked backwards, pulling him with her, and finally stops speaking when her back hits the wall, and she crashes her lips on his and immediately invades his mouth. She can feel his muffled laughter, but he doesn’t let go, of course, running his hand again under her dress all the way up her leg and around,to grab her ass and lift her up. he pins her firmly against the wall with his pelvis, rubbing against her in the process, and breaks the kiss to look into her eyes, and whispers.  
“Tell me what you want, Abby! Is this ok?”  
And here it is again, this change of emotions in her eyes, which a second earlier looked almost black with arousal, and now soften with just a trace of surprise, it seems, and he has to admit each time that happens, it fascinates him, this ability she has of speaking with her eyes. He had never really noticed before, but maybe just maybe, that’s why viewers like her so much? Because she can show so many feelings with just a look? Surprisingly, he feels an unexpected surge of emotions rising for this tiny gem, and he bends just a little to softly nuzzle her neck, waiting for her reply.  
”You… I want you, Marcus! It’s a little scary, I seem to want you as soon as I see you, this is not normal, why now?”  
He looks up at that with a little sad smile.  
“You know why…”  
For a beat, they stare at each other, trying to decipher each other’s thoughts, and they both break into a warm smile, and she wraps her legs around his waist and slides her cheek against his.  
“Make love to me, Marcus, to hell with reason, you make me feel so good…”

He loves sex with her, it seems they connect on a different level every single time they’re together. He’s trying to remember when was the last time he came at the exact same second as his partner, without one willingly waiting for the other, and he must admit it’s adding a little magic to their little bubble. She has stepped on the floor again, but he’s still holding her against his chest, and she hasn’t let go of his neck yet, somehow none of them want to let go, probably because they know that once they step away, life will have to resume as normal as possible.  
She keeps dropping little kisses on his chest, pushing his shirt open with her nose,   
and he bends to nuzzle the side of her face, then gently grabs her chin so their eyes meet.  
“How did last night go by the way?”  
She lightly presses her lips against his, while whispering.  
“Ugly…” and shuts any further question with a kiss. He understands what she’s doing, and wraps his arms tighter around her.  
“Shit, I’m sorry...Anything I can do?”  
“You just did…”  
She slowly slides her hands from behind his neck onto his cheeks, and cups his face, gently running her thumbs on his cheekbones, avoiding his look which she knows is concerned and maybe expecting another more coherent answer, but she can’t bring herself to say anything, losing herself in the moment with him is enough for her to hold it together, and right now that is all she needs, really.  
But he gets it, he knows that she is not ready yet to open up with words, he can feel the moment, every time she is in his arms, where she just shuts down whatever is hurting her and gives herself to him, unconsciously maybe taking what she needs to feel better. He’s totally fine with that, after all that’s how and why they both surrendered, they looked out for comfort in the other, but he wishes she’d open up more so he’d get a better idea if she’s in any danger or not.. And of course he can’t help asking again.  
“You’ll tell me, right, before it gets out of hand, and you can’t take it anymore? You know I’ll be there…”  
“Yes, I will, I promised you, and I will… Marcus? Please give me time?”  
“Of course, I just don’t want to see you unhappy, and feel helpless, that’s all!’  
He lays his forehead against hers, and feels her fingers slide into his hair.  
“Thank you…”  
And after a beat, she sighs and slowly steps away from him.  
“Now, we need to work!”  
He smiles and nods.  
“You’re right! Now, grab your coffee and leave, woman, before I think about something else to pass time!”  
She looks at him, and a huge smile starts spreading on her face, making her look almost like a teenage girl, suddenly.  
“Is it my fault? Have I created a monster? I had no idea you were so… Like this, Marcus!”  
“Oh, are you complaining?”  
She blushes at that, but tilts her head to the side, a playful glint in her eyes.  
“Not at all, but I think actually, you are the one who created a monster! So, stop tempting me, this is absolutely not fair, and my boss might actually object to me suddenly becoming very unproductive!”  
“Ok, go then!”  
The day goes by, with a peak in activity by 4pm when they hear that the impeachment of the president might finally happen. All of them work in a frenzy, yet thanks to Marcus’ sense of organisation, they manage to produce a very informative, top of the notch hour of news, and once again, Abby and Bellamy are perfectly in sync and get everyone’s praise at the end of the program.  
As they exit the recording studio, they’re met by Marcus and his huge smile.  
“I gotta hand it out to you, guys, once again you made it happen! Great job tonight, I’m so proud of you!”  
And then he meets Abby’s eyes, and his smile broadens even more, and of course she smiles back, trying really hard to not lose herself in his eyes, suddenly feeling and resisting an urge to jump into his arms. So instead, she just holds his gaze.  
“Thank you Marcus, but really if it wasn't for the beautiful team work of today, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”  
“True, but you and Bellamy were the ones handling the stress of the whole team on camera, and you made us all proud!”  
He hasn’t realized he’s grabbed her hand while talking, she hasn’t realized she has instinctively linked her fingers through his, and he’s slowly stroking her knuckles, and she’s rocking gently back and forth, still looking at him as if reaching his soul. They’re completely oblivious to Bellamy, who is standing there watching, mouth agape, the scene unfold in front of him. He’s torn between laughing and telling them to get a room, or just discreetly exiting the perimeter, and leaving them be in the bubble they’ve just created for themselves.  
“Ok, guys, I think I’m gonna hit the road since obviously Raven and Jackson have already volunteered to stay the night here? Abby? Are you taking the train with me?”  
Hearing Bellamy’s voice seems to shake both Abby and Marcus out of their reverie, and she turns to Bell, blushing like a schoolgirl, and abruptly letting go of Marcus’ hand, while he runs his in his hair, visibly embarrassed, like a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  
”Actually I drove this morning, but I can give you a ride if you want?”  
“Oh great, yes please if you don’t mind. Let me go get my stuff then. Goodnight Marcus, see you in the morning!”  
And he hastily walks towards the main room, leaving them alone, standing in the hallway.  
“Shit, Marcus, we need to be more careful, that was close…”  
“Oh yes it was, to be honest I was that close to kissing you…”  
She looks horrified for a second, but then sees the mischief in his eyes and shakes her head.  
“You scared me for a second, you airhead! You know this can’t happen though, right?”  
“Abbyyyyyy…. Stop worrying for a minute, ok? Everything's gonna be fine, you’ll see.”  
She stares in his eyes for what seems like a century, then breaks into a soft smile and quickly caresses his beard with the back of her hand.  
“Ok mister, then go grab your stuff and go home, now! It’s time to leave. And I’ll see you in the morning, bright and early and coffee ready!”  
She doesn’t even wait for his reply, turns on her heels and escapes to her office, leaving him speechless and a little distraught. What he doesn’t know is that she’s running away from him before succumbing to the crazy impulse she just had to send all precautions out the window, and kiss him senseless right there, in the middle of the hallway. She mumbles to herself.  
“Dammit woman, get a grip, what’s gotten into you. You’re an adult for god’s sake, stop behaving like a teenager in heat!”  
………

Friday comes and goes, they can do nothing but wait for any new piece of information that might come in, but it seems nothing is gonna happen until monday, so they get inventive and re-examine what they’ve learned so far to have a decent bulletin. Once again, the energy of the duo Bellamy/ Abby turns the hour into an interesting and informative success, making everyone happy and also looking forward to a peaceful weekend. Abby hasn’t set foot in Marcus’ office all day, and he is feeling very frustrated by it, but at the same time he understands. And he keeps telling himself he has to let her lead their new dynamics, he keeps telling himself she knows he is there for her, no matter what she needs, and if what she needs is to not interact with him today on a personal side, then so be it, as long as she’s fine. They’ve worked together of course, in the conference room over breakfast and for the ‘pm meeting, then they reviewed a bunch of details in her office, but Bellamy was there with them, and Marcus didn’t even try to get anywhere close to her, not trusting himself to be able to refrain from touching her if he had the opportunity. And just as he was growing annoyed, despite his good resolutions, at her apparent lack of interest in him, she had looked up, locked gaze with him, and had smiled her million dollar smile, and suddenly all was right in the world. And the little voice in his head had suddenly reappeared;  
“It’s the weekend in no time… Make a move, airhead, otherwise you’re gonna feel terribly lonely, waiting for Monday…”  
So they are done for the week, he is getting ready to go home and texting his daughter, when there’s a small tap on the door, then she lets herself in, and without a word crosses the room in four strides and throws herself into his arms, embracing him tightly.  
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodnight… And I needed a hug.”  
“I’ve missed you today, sunshine!”  
“But we’ve been good! We… I needed to be on my own for a bit, to prove to myself that I could still function without… You know…”  
“And the verdict is?”  
She laughs lightly at that, and looks up.  
“Nothing has changed, except that I’m happier when you’re around, even if I can’t touch you, which means, that you are still the best friend I have, and I’m glad, because that will never change I think.”  
He smiles back at her and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, looking softly into her chocolate eyes, letting his hand linger on her cheek and down to her neck.  
“I know we can do that… We love each other enough, and have for so long now, and we respect and know each other, so we just need to adjust to the new situation, but it is not gonna change anything between us at all, no matter what, we will always be the best friends we’ll ever have!”  
She nods, her brown eyes suddenly soft and shining with tears, and she whispers.  
“Thank you Marcus, I think I needed to hear that. Now, I have to go, I promised Jake I would be home before midnight for once.”  
“Ok… You’re gonna be fine, right? I don’t need to worry?”  
“I’ll be good, Marcus, and if anything happens, I will call you.”  
“Well, Clarke will be there and you’ll have a wonderful time I’m sure.”  
“Clarke isn’t coming home this weekend, actually, it will just be the two of us… I’m thinking I might find the time to discuss things with him, but he’s right you know, when he says I’m not a good wife or mother. I mean, I’m barely home…”  
Marcus frowns and frames her face in his hands.  
“What? No, Abby, no, I don’t agree with that! You’re a wonderful mum, I’m sure you’re an amazing wife, so don’t you dare have a bad opinion of yourself! You’re a role model for most of the women here, for God’s sake, doesn’t that count for anything?”  
She shrugs and looks away.  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  
“No, I’m positive I’m right! Do you want to do something with O and I tomorrow or sunday? We could have a barbecue or something?”  
“Oh no no, thanks but you also need quality time with your daughter… It’s sweet that you can be together as a family, and I certainly don’t want to intrude.”  
“Hey, I’m offering, ok? And besides, that teenager of mine will probably get totally fed up with me after a few hours, and will retreat to her room, facetime her mother on the other side of the country for a half hour and then eat leftover pizza in bed watching youtube for the most of Sunday… So, see? My offer is valid as much for my sanity than for yours.”  
She smiles at him again, entangling her fingers in his hair.  
“Ok, thank you, I’ll see how it goes though, if you don’t mind? I’d really like to figure where I stand with Jake, you know…  
”Alright, but if anything happens, I want you to–“  
But she puts a finger on his mouth and shakes her head, then replaces it with her mouth, kissing him softly. Then she presses her forehead onto his, standing on tiptoes, and holding onto his neck.  
“I promise, Marcus, I promise…”

.


	12. The turning point.

Chapter 12: The turning point.

“You know, dad, I quite like when you make me those banana pancakes for breakfast, and I’m thinking you’re actually getting better at cooking than mum…”  
“Well thank you baby, I’m flattered really, although do you think pancakes are proof that I’m a good cook?”  
“You should cook me dinner tonight, and then I’ll be the judge of your skills…”  
“Oh, you know what? I’m actually gonna take you up on that! Let’s do this, it will be fun!”  
“And it will show mum that we’re truly capable of living without her too.”  
“And you think that’s gonna make her feel good?”  
“It’s certainly gonna make ME feel good… Because then, maybe you will admit that being the two of us is perfectly fine, and you can start organizing my life accordingly.”  
“Octavia? How do you get to that conclusion exactly? What is the connection between me cooking dinner and you getting more independence? I’m not following.”  
“Oh my God dad, please get a clue!!! If you can cook, then you can get the meals for the week organised on the weekends, of course I would help, then whenever you come home late, it’s actually fine because you know your favorite daughter is safe at home with her stomach full of what you had frozen on Sunday, has done her homework, and is old enough to go to bed at the right time, even with no parent around.”  
Marcus bursts out laughing at that.  
“Oh my, O, you are such a resourceful teenager, when did that happen? You don’t give up easily, do you?”  
Octavia beams, and nods.  
“Try me, dad, you’ll see that I’m very capable of a lot of things!... Dad? Can Abby cook?”  
“Abby? Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? And I have no idea if she cooks or not… I would say yes, just because the woman can pretty much do anything she sets her mind to, but I don't know, really.”  
And of course, at the mention of her name, Marcus’ mind drifts to her. What is she doing, is she having a good time, or is she dealing with her husband, is it going well, or is she feeling lonely without her daughter around… He really wants to check up on her, but he promised he wouldn’t overact or be concerned with no reason.  
“Why don’t you call and ask her? She must be feeling sad today, Clarke isn’t home, you know… Actually, you should invite her over tonight.”  
“Octavia… Abby is probably sick of seeing my face all week long, don’t you think she wants some time alone with her husband?”  
“No.”  
“No? No what?”  
“No she doesn’t want any time with Jake, at least that’s what Clarke is saying… Come on, I like Abby, Dad, please invite her!”  
Should he tell her he already had? Is O right, should he call her and insist? Why did Clarke say that to his daughter?  
His phone tings, and as he reaches onto the kitchen counter to retrieve it, he sees her name attached to the little blinking envelope.He smiles and looks up at Octavia.  
“Speak of the devil, Abby just asked what we had planned for tonight.”  
Octavia jumps off her seat.  
“Yeah! So cool! Call her, dad, call her and tell her to come! Tell her we’ll cook for her! And tell her she can leave her stupid husband at home, we don’t need him!”  
“Octavia for God’s sake! You can’t say things like that, it is not nice!”  
“That’s because he is not nice, Dad, but whatever! Call her!”  
He shakes his head, a little overwhelmed at his daughter’s enthusiasm, and starts texting Abby, just because he realizes he’s already dying to hear her voice, but mostly because he doesn’t want Octavia to listen to his conversation.  
-Hi sunshine! O was just begging me to invite you guys over tonight, and has challenged me to cook for you, so what do you say? No pressure.  
-Hey airhead! Is it ok if I come without Jake? He actually needs to be at the clinic for surgery. He just said he’ll drop me at your place to come say Hi, then will pick me up, if that’s fine with you?  
\- Perfect. Is 6pm ok?  
\- Yes; Thank you.  
\- Are you ok?  
-Yes, don’t worry, see you later, we’ll bring the wine and some pop for O.  
He pockets his phone with a smile, only to be met with O’s expectant gaze. He smiles at her.  
“Alright, so, what do you want me to make? We’ll be three and Abby is bringing the drinks.”  
“Yeah, that’s so so cool! Can you make lasagna with a salad and something chocolate for dessert?”  
“That sounds doable, actually. Let’s go grocery shopping then, we can also buy some ice cream to go with the brownies.”  
“Woohoo, best Saturday of my life! Thank you Dad!”  
She jumps off the kitchen stool, wraps him in a fast hug, then turns around and almost runs up to her room.  
“Fifteen minutes and we go, O!”  
“Check, dad!”

.....................

“Octavia! Can you go get the door? My hands are full!”  
“Hi Jake, Hello Abby, I’m so glad to see you! I’ve missed you Abby!”  
“Oh thanks O, I’ve missed you too!”  
“Hi Marcus, are we too early?”  
“No no, it’s fine, I was just getting ready to put this in the oven! Hello Jake, how have you been?”  
“Good, very good, thank you. You know, busy, which is a good thing considering my wife spends more time with you these days than in her own home.”  
“Yes, I’m sorry about that, it is a hectic time for us, I’m sure it’s hard on you.”  
Jake snorts a bit, and looks at Abby, then back at Marcus.  
“Well, I never heard her complain, so… I guess you don’t need to feel sorry.”  
“Mmm, ok… Errr, do you want something to drink?”  
They all go sit in the living room with a glass of wine, Jake and Abby on the large plush couch, Marcus on the smaller one facing them, and Octavia watches the scene, perched on the edge of the old armchair by the fireplace.  
“So, Marcus, you and I have one thing in common now, I guess?”  
Silence.  
Abby is trying really hard to keep her eyes on her husband, she doesn’t want to look at Marcus, and she thinks it was maybe a very bad idea to come here tonight; Marcus though remains very poised, and just lifts an eyebrow.  
“We do?”  
“Yes! You and I are learning to live as single men most of the time. Do you miss your wife?”  
“I do, but she loves her job and I love mine, and right now we both need to devote ourselves to them. So, even if it’s not easy, it’s not forever, you know, so we make do.”  
“Yeah, that’s a wise insight, I suppose. Right, darling? It will pass and we’ll be in the same place at the same time, eventually.”  
She smiles softly at that, and he grabs her hand and kisses her knuckles. Then he turns to Marcus again.  
“I was just wondering… When, in your opinion, will Abby be too old for the camera?”  
Marcus feels his blood turn cold at that, and almost gasps. He quickly looks at Abby, and is devastated to see her eyes filled with tears, although her cheeks are flaming red, and her jaw is set. And before he has a chance to say anything, she turns to her husband and answers him cooly.  
“Really Jake? You wanna go there again? I wasn’t clear enough last time? I’m actually ashamed of you for this sexist and misogynistic thought.”  
“I agree with Abby, you know! And if I’m allowed to say something, Dad? Well, let’s say Abby has this fierceness and this softness at the same time that defies age. Noone cares, to be honest, everyone sees her talent and not the wrinkles on her face!”  
“Oh, I’m sorry if this sounded like an attack, it wasn’t my intention at all, I mean, I married her, right? And I’m still here, right? I do know my wife is beautiful and talented and all. But I just thought this world you guys live in was all about youthful and healthy looks, you know? “  
“Well, Jake, this might sadly be true in Hollywood, or in films and series, but this is New York City and we are a news program. So we’re lucky to have Abby not only for her beauty, but for her expertise, her empathy and her professionalism. Oh, and have I mentioned her charisma?”  
“Ok, alright I get it.”  
He smiles gently, and pats Abby’s thigh.  
“Well then, darling, that was my failed attempt at trying to get you back all to myself… I have to get used to missing you, I’m afraid… So, Octavia, how’s school?”  
From then on, the conversation takes a lighter tone, O entertains them all with her teenage stories, oblivious to the looks that her dad and Abby exchange.  
Then Jake looks at his watch and gets up.  
“Anyway, I’m on my way, surgery’s scheduled in thirty minutes, so I’d better get going. Is it ok if I come by later to pick up Abby?”  
“Sure, no problem, Abby you’re welcome here as long as you want anyway.”  
Once Jake is out the door, Abby seems to instantly relax, and lets a big sigh out.  
“I’m sorry for what he said, guys. He gets into this quite often, actually, and it makes me so mad each time…”  
Octavia shakes her head.  
“Ew, I’m so sorry for you, Abby, that was… disgusting, what a chauvinistic pig, really!”  
“Octavia! Language! Apologize please!”  
“No, that’s fine, Marcus, no need to apologize, O’s right you know!”  
Marcus‘s anger towards his daughter deflates instantly, and he softly pats Abby’s back, not caring if O is watching or not.  
“You don’t believe a single word of what he says, right? You know he’s got it completely wrong, right?”  
She nods and imperceptibly lays against his hand, but doesn’t answer. The ting of the oven saves her from further embarrassment, and Octavia also comes to the rescue with a happy shriek.  
“Yeah, food’s ready! Oh Abby you are gonna LOVE Dad’s lasagna, I swear he has italian blood, it’s sooo good when he makes it, better than Mum’s actually.”  
She smiles at the teenager’s enthusiasm, and looks at Marcus. Her eyes are a little sad still, he can see it, and he has a hard time not wrapping her in his arms and comforting her with kisses. He suddenly feels very protective of her, but he knows that he has to let her come to him, so she doesn’t feel patronized again.  
“Ok, ladies, let’s eat then!”  
Dinner conversation gets lighter and happier as their meal goes by, both Marcus and Octavia alternating with jokes and mockeries and funny stories, and soon enough Abby joins in with some of Clarke’s craziest secrets. By the end of the evening, everyone is happy and carefree, and Marcus thinks that was a good idea to have her here after all. Even O behaved and didn’t try to embarass him with her questions, and they all end up on the couch watching a movie, and laughing happily, until Marcus calls for bedtime for his favorite teenager.  
“But Daaaad, this isn’t fair, I wanna stay…”  
“O, it’s past midnight already, so it’s a no. Say goodnight to our guest and off you go.”  
She sighs dramatically but complies, gets up and kisses Abby goodnight.  
Abby’s grabbed her phone, mumbling.  
“Oh my God, I hope all is well at the clinic.There’s no message, should I call him?”  
“Yes, if you’re concerned. But in any case you know you can stay as long as you want, you can even sleep here if you want.”  
She smiles at him.  
“Thank you… I’m calling him though.”  
Jake picks up on the second ring.  
“Jake? Is everything alright?”  
“Oh shit Abby! Yes, yes, everything’s fine… Shit, I forgot about you… I’m so used to you not being around that I forgot I had to pick you up.”  
“You what??”  
“Sorry darling, I forgot, ok? It was a tiring surgery, so, I don’t know, I came straight home after it. Can you uber home?”  
“You know what, Jake? Forget it. Have a good night! I’ll see you when I see you!”  
And she hangs up and throws the phone on the coffee table.  
Marcus, who had gotten up to give her some privacy and is finishing cleaning up the kitchen, hears the clutter of the phone and looks at her.  
“Abby? What’s going on?”  
She looks up. Her eyes are blazing and she says between clenched teeth.  
“He just forgot about me and now won’t bother to come pick me up. He. Forgot. To. Pick. Me. Up! This is not happening, is it?”  
She stands up abruptly and starts pacing around the living room, jaw clenched, visibly trying to slow down her breathing, and switching her hair from one side to the other, a habit he knows is made out of pure nervousness. She then flops back on the couch, buries her face into her hands, elbows on her knees, and mumbles to herself, something Marcus can’t make out. He goes to sit next to her, not sure it’s a good time to embrace her.  
“Abby, I’m so sorry… But I can drive you home if you want.”  
She shakes her head, not looking up.  
“Thanks, but I’m gonna call for an Uber in a minute… I just need to calm down before I head home. Oh god, I’ve never been so embarrassed in my whole life!”  
“Hey, hey, you don’t need to be embarrassed in front of me, you know that, right? He’s the one who should be, he’s the one who should be flying out the door right now and then begging on his knees for your forgiveness!”  
No reaction, but her body language is telling him she’s cracking at the seams.  
“Abby, Abby look at me! Listen to me for a second please…”  
She finally looks up with a sigh, and he can see she looks defeated, anger is gone and sadness has replaced it. So he gently cups her face, and rubs a soft finger on her cheek.  
“Listen, after everything he said about you being consumed by your job, it doesn’t make sense that he does what he did… Look who’s consumed now? Look who cares about the other… Don’t let it get to you, at least you can point it out next time he accuses you of not caring about him. It’s ok to be mad at him, you know…”  
She has listened to him intently, eyes locked onto his, seeking a strength there to help her stay sane. She slowly nods, but then he watches, horrified, as her lower lip starts trembling, her eyes fill up, and she bursts into tears.That’s his cue to just lift her off the couch and onto his lap, and wrap her tightly in his arms. She snuggles against his chest, grabs his neck, and dissolves into heavy, heart wrenching sobs. He remains silent, just planting little kisses on her hair, hands soothingly moving on her back. And she cries and cries and cries, he has never seen this part of her, suddenly she seems so fragile and vulnerable, and all he wants to do at this moment is keep her locked forever in his embrace, shield her from the rest of the world, and never let go, her husband be damned.  
“Something bad happened?”  
Octavia is standing on top of the stairs, in her pyjamas. Marcus looks up, but doesn’t let go of Abby, who seems oblivious to O anyway. So he nods and puts a finger on his lips, signaling O to keep silent. But she’s seen Abby’s state, and runs down the steps, jumps on the couch next to Abby and embraces both her and her dad, pressing her slender body against Abby’s back.  
“It’s ok, Abby, it’s ok. You’ll be fine, you don’t need him…”  
Marcus tries his best to look severe and shocked.  
“Octavia, shut up please!”  
“Ok.”  
But she doesn’t move away, just rests her cheek on Abby’s shoulder blade, feet under her, visibly ready to stay with them. Although that image warms his heart, he wants to be alone with Abby, also thinking that she will be mortified to have Octavia witness her vulnerability, comes tomorrow… But he needn’t worry, because then Octavia sighs, sits up and looks at him.  
“I’m going to bed, but Dad? You need to take care of her for me, ok? Don’t let her go home, she needs to stay here. Oh, and forever would be awesome.”  
Then she meets her dad’s eyes, and sighs, standing up.  
“But I guess that’s a conversation for another day, right?”  
And with one last look at Abby, she doesn’t wait for any kind of answer from her dad and escapes the living room. Marcus shakes his head, then his attention goes back to the tiny woman still curled into a ball in his arms, wetting his t-shirt with her tears, her hands now clenching his shoulders, her sobs slowly turning into hiccups, so he secures her more firmly against him, and waits, hands soothing and lips kissing her hair softly. After what feels like a century, she finally lets go of him a notch, and looks up, sniffing.  
“I’m so sorry, Marcus, I hate to be like this, I guess this stupid situation hit me harder than I thought it would. I’m so embarrassed to be a burden, and –”  
“Hey, stop that, you are not a burden, yes this is a stupid situation, but you are not a burden…”  
She slowly raises her hand to caress his cheek, and with a sigh, rests her forehead against his lips, curling her fingers at the nape of his neck. He plants tiny kisses on her, letting his hands run free on her back. Then he hears her whisper:  
“I’m gonna call an Uber…”  
“I can drive you home if that’s what you want.’  
‘No, Marcus, you’ve done enough already, Uber will be fine. I think I need another hug from you though, if you don’t mind…”  
He doesn’t answer, instead wraps her once more in his arms and buries his face in her hair, whispering.  
“Stay…”  
She doesn’t answer but shakes her head against him.  
“Please… Besides, Octavia will kill me if I let you go tonight, and I want to take care of you… So, please, stay…”  
She looks up then, and smiles a little sad smile, before leaning in and slowly kissing his lips. It’s a chaste kiss, but it makes his skin tingle and his heart swell.  
”Do I take this as a yes?”  
“Well, we wouldn’t want to see you harmed in any way, right? I hear teenagers can be very dangerous when upset…”

He smiles broadly.  
“Here’s my tiny sunshine! And I agree, we don’t want to upset my daughter more… Come on, let me get you something to sleep in.”  
He grabs her hand and leads her to his bedroom, and he opens a drawer and grabs one of his t-shirts and some sweatpants. Implicitly, he has chosen to not grab anything belonging to his wife, and she is grateful for that. Neither of them even think for a second about staying in his bedroom, as he leads her to the bathroom down the hall next, grabs towels and a brand new toothbrush, and leaves her there. When she emerges from the bathroom, he has turned the couch into a makeshift bed, and although it’s not a pull-out sofa, she thinks it’s big enough to accommodate her tiny body.  
He looks at her approaching;  
“Will that be good enough you think?”  
“It’s perfect Marcus, thank you. God, I’m so embarrassed, and I’m so mad at him for that.”  
“Mad is good, I agree with mad! But ok, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it really was a difficult surgery and it consumed all his thoughts and energy?”  
She frowns at him, and plops on the couch.  
“Do you really believe that? I think he wanted to make a statement, and so he did what he did. I got the message. Loud and clear…”  
He sits next to her.  
“Ugh. I don’t agree with him though. It’s immature, and mean…”  
She sighs, and rests her head on his shoulder.  
“Yeah, I suppose… Marcus? Will you stay with me for a bit?”  
“You’re not tired?”  
“I am, but I don’t want to be alone right now… Is that ok?”  
He smiles gently and pulls her to him.  
“I thought you’d never ask…”  
They lie down on the couch, he has turned the lights off, and the room is only bathed in the dim light of the hall that he’s left on in case she wakes up during the night and wants to find her way around the house more easily. His back is pressed against the couch and he’s spooned her carefully at first, but she‘s grabbed his hand and pressed it on her tummy, so growing bolder, he’s sneaked under her t-shirt and is caressing her soft skin there, lulling her to sleep. At some point, she turns in his arms and, facing him, enterwines her legs with his and presses her breasts against his chest. Her breathing sounds a bit erratic, he thinks, when he feels her tears against his skin. Ok, so, she can’t voice out loud her worries, but she’s letting go nonetheless, and he’s secretly glad she has chosen to stay. So, he does what he does best: Surround her with his strength, wrap her in his affection, and secure her in his tenderness.  
…………..

When Octavia walks down the stairs, she freezes when she sees the scene in front of her. So her dad has slept with Abby on the couch after all. She disappears in his arms and under the blanket wrapped around them, but Octavia can clearly see that they’re locked in a tight embrace. Her dad’s face has disappeared into Abby’s hair for one, and they’re so tight together that they fit perfectly on that couch, that could be uncomfortable if you were not glued to the other. She smiles at the sight, not bothered for one minute that her dad is asleep in front of her eyes with another woman in his arms.  
She walks silently to the kitchen area, grabs the bottle of orange juice from the fridge and a banana from the counter, and walks back up to her room. She doesn’t want to embarass them if they wake up with her watching them, also as much as she doesn’t care whether something is going on between her dad and Abby, she doesn’t need to witness any further form of affection.  
What she doesn’t know is that her dad has just pretended to be asleep, not really wanting her intervention as of now… Once he hears her door close, he looks at his watch, and decides that 7 am is definitely too early to get up, or to wake up Abby. It took her a long time to fall asleep, she didn’t say anything, just cried herself to sleep in his arms, then had some sort of nightmare, and this time he kissed her and kissed her and kissed her until she fell back asleep. Needless to say he didn't get much rest, but he suspects she didn’t either… She chooses that moment to turn around and press her back against his chest, pinning him again against the back of the couch. He gently slides his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her belly, and hears her sigh softly. He waits a bit, but he can feel she’s waking up, so he buries his nose in her hair again, and whispers in her ear.  
“Go back to sleep, sunshine, it’s not time to get up yet.”  
Her voice sounds raspier than usually, but he finds it even sexier when she says, “Yeah, ok, just… Don’t go anywhere, please…”  
He smiles against her ear, then slowly slides his lips down her neck, whispering in between little sensual kisses:  
“I’m not moving from this couch, I actually love having you here in my arms.”  
He can feel, though, her anxiety rising, despite her not resisting him, as his kisses become more sensual… His hand on her tummy is drawing slow circles on her skin, and she reaches out for his other hand under her head and gently kisses his palm, hearing his soothing voice.  
“Let me take care of you…”  
And he slides his hand from her tummy, over her belly button down to the elastic waistband of her pants.  
“Oh God Marcus, Octavia might wake up, you can’t…”  
“Don’t think about Octavia, concentrate on yourself for once…”  
“But what if –“  
“Ssssh, just relax, ok, and trust me. Do you trust me?”  
She turns her head just enough to meet his gaze.  
“You know I do, God, you’re the only one I trust at the moment I think!”  
“Then let go… I’ve got you…” And still looking into her eyes, he gets under her sweatpants and slides his fingers down to her core, and painfully slowly, starts caressing her. She closes her eyes and he moves his mouth to the soft skin of her shoulder, resisting the urge to lightly bite her there. She tastes so good, and he knows, knows he will never get enough of her. Her body is so responsive to him, he can feel she trusts him completely, as she arches into his hand, at the same time grabbing his neck behind her and waiting for him to kiss her fully on the lips. Their kiss is hot and sexy, their tongues dancing together in unison, until he feels the first tremors hit her and willingly swallows her cry of ecstasy. She goes limp in his arms, letting go of his neck, but still locking her lips to his, then after a while where she seems to learn how to breathe again, she wiggles into his arms until she’s facing him, and slides down her hand to his crotch, making him gasp.  
“What are you doing, you evil woman…”  
She just smiles, and lays her forehead against his.  
“ Reciprocating…”  
“Well, the offer is really appreciated, you know, but it was about you, to help you go back to sleep.”  
“I got that, and now I’m gonna help you sleep!”  
“Then… I’d rather be inside you…”  
“Oh, aren’t we needy this morning… But… Octavia?  
“I’ve learned how to be silent around the kid… Haven’t you?”  
As soon as the phrase leaves his mouth, he wants to slap himself. He feels her tense a little, and her eyes cloud with a hint of sadness. But then she snorts.  
“Now that you mention it, yes…. I just had forgotten about it…”  
“Granted your house is bigger too, Clarke’s room is further down the hall, right?”  
She grants him a little smile and a shrug.  
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”  
“Why, you ohhh...“  
She’s cut him off with her hand gripping his cock, and guiding it to her entrance.  
“You talk too much, Kane…”  
Oh god, can he ever resist this woman, she seems to have him wrapped around her little finger, he thinks while slowly pushing into her, she seems to take him wherever she wants, once she starts being in charge. He loves that about her, loves that mix of vulnerability and strength, loves when she lets him take care of her, loves when she’s the lead and becomes a bit bossy. The more he finds little details about her, the more complex he discovers she is.  
They make slow, wonderful love, as if they were used to sharing lazy mornings together. Yes, it is new, and it seems that way too, but somehow there’s also a part of Abby who thinks this is where she feels right. In Marcus’ arms, surrounded by his tenderness, acutely aware that the sensations they share are uniquely them. She drifts back to sleep with a little content smile on her lips. He tucks her on his chest, wraps the blanket around them again, and falls asleep a few minutes after her.  
He wakes up to the smell of grilled toast and fresh coffee. She must have got up earlier, careful to let him sleep, and looked through the cupboards to locate something to make breakfast. He watches her for a while, elbow on the couch and head in his hand, her long hair wild around her makeupless face, she looks so young and tiny, and as usual his heart melts for her. He gets up and wraps his arms around her from behind, and kisses her neck. ”Good morning sleepy head, would you like some eggs to go with toast and coffee? I took the liberty of–“  
“I’m glad you did… And let me do the eggs… But first…”  
And he turns her around in his arms, entwines his fingers in her hair, and, drawing little circles on her cheeks with his thumbs, he plunges his gaze into hers. She blushes immediately, and smiles almost shyly. She feels he is reading her like an open book, but she doesn’t look away, and whispers.  
“Thank you for everything, Marcus.”  
That’s when he bends and captures her lips, kissing her voluptuously, and instantly, she melts against him, tangling her fingers in his hair, and pulling him to her, trying to get more of him. When they part, out of breath, they smile at each other and link their fingers.  
“We need to call your daughter, don’t you think? How about I make pancakes while you make an omelet?”  
………………………………

When Octavia walks down the stairs, phone in hand, they’re too late to realize that she has already snapped a picture of them, and she says with a triumphant smile:  
“Hey, I’m sure Clarke is gonna love that photo! You two look so cute! I mean, how can old people look that awesome?”  
They try not to seem embarrassed and pretend there’s nothing to it, but somehow Marcus wonders what type of conversations Clarke and his daughter have in private.  
They all sit at the kitchen counter and enjoy their breakfast and the company. Octavia is entertaining and tells stories about her dad, clearly to embarrass him, of course Abby laughs and laughs, and Marcus finally finds the whole situation rather endearing. Octavia looks at Abby then.  
“Abby, what’s your favorite fruit?”  
“Strawberries.”  
“Oh, just like Dad! Do you dip them in chocolate sauce too, like he does?”  
“Actually, I’ve never tried that, but it does sound yummy!”  
Marcus smiles a big smile.  
“Well, you’ll need to come back so I can make some for you. I actually make a mean chocolate sauce.”  
She smiles back.  
“I’d love to! But right now, I think I should head home soon…”  
“Are you sure? Do you want to shower first? Then I will drive you.”  
“Yes, a shower would be nice, but you don’t have to –”  
“But I want to…”  
They drive in silence, but Marcus can feel the tension rising inside her, and he gently grabs her hand and holds it tight. she turns to him and smiles her little sad smile.  
“I’ll be fine, Marcus, I don’t want you to worry about me.”  
He parks in a nearby street, close to her house, and cuts the engine off, then turns to her and frames her face in his hand.  
“Look at me, and listen carefully. The second he’s mean to you, I need you to call me, or text me, and I’ll come back and pick you up. Or you drive to my house. Or, you can even go to the office if you feel more comfortable, or if you’re sick of me, or if you need some time alone. But in any case, please leave the house, ok?”  
She grabs his hand on her cheek, and softly kisses his palm.  
“I’ll never get sick of you, but thank you, and yes, you know I will. But listen carefully too: It’s nothing I can’t handle, and even if he rubs me the wrong way sometimes, I’m perfectly capable of handling him, you know? So, please trust me with this. And… I know you’re here for me no matter what, and it means a lot to me… Thank you Marcus!”  
He smiles gently, and bends to kiss her, then turns the engine on, and takes her home. Before getting out of the car, she grabs his hand again, and squeezes.  
“I’m grateful for last night and this morning, you know. I’ll see you tomorrow, Marcus.”  
“You take care, Sunshine.”  
And as he watches her walk to her door step, and disappear inside the house, he realizes his stomach is tied in a knot, that he’s already missing her, and he suddenly wishes she was the one he woke up with every morning and got to sleep with every night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for those who are still reading!


	13. If it's not love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God! Is someone actually still reading this? I apologize for the long silence, life just got in the way... I will try to be better, I promise. For those of you who don't like sex scenes, well, just skip this chapter ( and the next one!)  
> Enjoy! And remember, feedback is love!

“So, are you ready for dessert? I have a surprise, actually…”

“Oh Marcus, you’re always full of surprises, that’s great! Who would have thought? But also, didn’t we have dessert before dinner? I seem to recall someone was very very hungry, but–”

“Not for food…. Yeah, I plead guilty, but tell me you don’t enjoy not sticking to the rules, you evil woman….”

She rolls on her stomach, sprawled on the bed, and smiles softly at him, head on the pillow. He can’t help but admire her gorgeous body, lying here totally naked and completely comfortable, her flawless skin, the perfect curve of her ass and her long toned legs.

“You’re right of course… You know me too well, it is getting a bit scary, I gotta say. Anyway, are we talking about actual food here? We're making love, having food, making love, having food? Is that the name of the game?”

“Yes, my lady, it is!!! Remember a few weeks ago, you were at my house, and I asked you about strawberries? Well, I’ve made my famous chocolate sauce, I just need to put the finishing touches and heat it up… Let me go downstairs and do it, I’ll be back soon.”

“Hey! Come here for a second.”

He grins like a schoolboy and bends to reach her outstretched hand and kiss her palm, but she grabs his neck and pulls him to her. He falls on the bed, laughing, pretending to protest for a second.

“Abbyyyyy…. You evil woman, you’re trying to keep me away from my mission…”

“No I’m not! But I wanted a cuddle before you go… Is that so bad?”

“My God Abby, you’re insatiable! Not that I’m complaining though…”

And he slowly starts kissing his way down her body, from the base of her neck down to her shoulder, her ribcage, stopping at the arch of her back and lingering there for a while, then peppering little kisses on her butt cheek, until he feels her shudder under his lips. then he abruptly kneels next to her and lightly slaps her ass.

“That’s all for now, sunshine! Be back soon!”

And before she can answer, he stands up and flies out the room, laughing when he hears her shout:

“Who’s evil now Marcus Kane?”

“Have I told you you’re sexy when you cook? Especially when all you’re wearing is your boxer shorts…” 

She's standing in the doorway of the kitchen area, dressed in his shirt, an amused smile on her lips.

“You couldn’t resist spying on me?”

“Of course I couldn’t! I want to learn everything about that famous sauce!”

She hops on the kitchen counter, and watches him get everything ready, put the sauce in a pan, add a few drops of vanilla, a tablespoon of strong coffee, and when he digs his pinkie finger in the pan, to control the taste of the mix, she grabs his arm and opens her mouth. With a smile, he sticks his finger into her mouth, and watches her close her lips around it, closing her eyes as she moans softly with pleasure.

“Abby, is it me, or is it getting hot in here suddenly?” 

She opens her eyes and looks at him mischievously. Her eyes have gone black when she wraps her legs around him and pulls him to her.

“Wanna taste it too?”

And without waiting for an answer, she crashes her lips to his. He wraps her in his arms and she melts against his chest, she opens her mouth immediately and he can taste the rich aroma of the chocolate, melted with something that’s uniquely her, and that he’s starting to find intoxicating and more and more addictive. But just as their kiss is getting hotter, he jumps back and bursts out laughing.

“Let’s not get carried away right now, sunshine! I really need to finish this, trust me you won’t be disappointed. Just show a little patience here!”

She pouts, and God how he loves when she does that… But he pretends to ignore it and she starts giggling, hopping off the counter, as he’s sticking the pan into the microwave.

“You know Marcus, I’m getting used to spending nights in the office with you, this is starting to feel like home, and it’s a bit mind boggling…”

“I wish we had more, I wish we could be here more than one night a week, I wish I would spend more mornings with you, I wish I could cook for you more often and get some of that weight you’re losing back onto your beautiful body…”

She sighs and wraps her arms around his neck.

“ Marcus, please…. Let’s not go there ok?”

“Tell me why you don’t eat…”

“You know why… I’m just not hungry when I get home, that’s all.”

“That’s not all, I know….”

“But when it gets to be too much, I’ve got you, so that’s fine. That, or Clarke is home, and everything is good for a bit. So again, please please stop worrying about me!”

“I can't, you know I can't… I don't like to get here early in the morning and find you're already at work…"

She sighs and hides her face against his shoulder.

"I know you don’t."

"Hey listen, this weekend, Octavia is flying west to be with her mum, will you come stay with me? She flies out Friday in the morning and comes back Tuesday. Come stay with me, or we can get away where no one knows us, and spend the weekend there, what do you think?”

She looks up and meets his eyes,and immediately she breaks into the biggest smile he has seen in a long time. She weaves her fingers into his hair and plants a big wet kiss on his lips, before saying,  
“I would actually love that! Yes, let’s do it! Let’s go some place on Friday, and shut the real world down until Monday!”

“What are you gonna say at home?”

“The truth. Well, at least a part of the truth. I’m gonna tell Jake I need time to think about our future, I need some time alone and away from the house. To be honest, I was actually thinking about doing that… The past weeks haven’t been any easier, and I really need to consider what I want to do, so it will be a good time to do that.”

He gently slides his hands around her slim waist, and wraps her in his arms. “But you do want me there with you, right?”

She smiles again, and caresses his cheek with the back of her knuckles.

“Yes, oh my God yes! Marcus, you are my savior, you know that… Aside from the fact that you are my best friend and a great lover…”

“Speaking of great lover…”

But just as he pulls her to him and bends to kiss her, the microwave beeps and he looks at her with a mischievous smile.  
“Ok sweetheart, time to get ourselves dirty, are you ready for his?”

Once upstairs, he grabs the little basket of strawberries and sits on the bed, facing Abby who has resumed her favorite position, sitting cross legged against the wall at the head of the bed, holding the pan of sauce.

“Ok, so here is how it goes: You grab the top of the strawberry, like this, you hold the leaves aaand you dip it delicately into the sauce, swirl it around a little, then you flip it fast so the chocolate covers the whole fruit, and you eat it before it leaks onto your fingers…. See? Now, open your mouth!”

She does as she’s told, and catches the whole fruit with her teeth,closing her lips around his finger, and as she’s chewing on the fruit that’s melting into her mouth, she closes her eyes in awe and moans softly.

“Oh sweet Jesus, it is sooo good! The flavors go so well together, and that sauce, Marcus, that sauce… I understand the love here!”

He smiles in victory “So does this mean you want another?”

“Oh, stop looking so smug and hand me another one, you master chef! With more chocolate, please!”

He laughs softly, and as she watches him concentrate on dipping the strawberry for her, suddenly she finds the whole thing so sensual, suddenly she gets why he was so adamant on having this special treat for her, suddenly she knows where this is leading, and she feels her cheeks and other parts of her body burn in expectation.  
Their eyes meet, and they don’t break eye contact when he slowly slides the fruit across her lips, drawing the shape of her mouth with chocolate. As she opens her mouth to welcome the fruit, he smiles mischievously and instead, holds it up between them.

“My turn, but I am willing to share… Sooo… Are you willing to share your chocolate?”

“Come get it…”

“Close your eyes…”

His go a darker shade of brown as he bends and slowly starts sliding the strawberry against her lips. Her mouth is half open in anticipation, her breath shallow, and a shiver runs through her whole body as soon as she feels his mouth on hers. He tastes like rich chocolate, and just when she’s starting to melt and let her tongue dance with his, he’s gone, but before she starts protesting, one of his hands is cupping her face, and he has her bite into the fruit, then he’s here again, tasting like strawberry too, but parting slightly to lick the chocolate off her lips, then plunging his tongue into her mouth again, and the sensation is simply overwhelming. His hands are now travelling south between them, without breaking the kiss, his fingers are playing with the buttons of her shirt, he slides his hands under the fabric and moves back up, softly caressing her skin, circling around her breasts then grabbing her shoulders to gently push her on her back, across the bed. He kisses his way down while his hands push the shirt out of the way, lightly sucking on her nipple on the way, leaving a trail of open-mouth kisses all the way down to her belly button, and as she's already on the verge of coming just from what his lips are doing to her senses, he's gone again. She moans in frustration, and opens her eyes when she hears him snicker. He has a big smile on his lips and has grabbed the bowl of sauce, then ever so slowly pours some of it in her navel, letting it overflow onto her belly, and she shivers under the warmth of the sauce as he dips a fruit in and starts using it as a brush over her skin, tracing chocolate patterns from her belly to her breasts, then biting into the strawberry and bending over her to lick the sauce off her skin. She's overwhelmed with sensations, by looking at him too, visibly enjoying himself. He offers her a piece of the fruit as he watches her intently, circling her nipple with his tongue while letting her suck on his finger, and he seems to know she's ready to let go, because when his other hand slides onto her sex, that's all it takes for her to surrender to the most unexpected orgasm she's ever experienced. 

But he doesn't seem to be done with her yet, and he licks the sauce from her navel, then moves back up to kiss her fully on the lips, while sliding his arms around her, then in one swift motion, he sits on the bed and she finds herself seated on him, his throbbing cock pressed against her, and when did he discard his boxer shorts, she wonders in a haze as he grabs her ass and easily slides into her. She gasps as he fills her completely, and shivers again as she realizes the effect this man has on her. In another world, in another relationship, she wouldn't be able to let anyone else even touch her over-sensitive sex right after her orgasm. But it seems her body (and her brain) was waiting for him and only him to surrender and let the walls she had built around herself crash down, and her attitude towards sex has changed radically since she started sleeping with Marcus.  
She stops thinking when he presents her with another strawberry which she bites into, reaching next to him to dig her fingers into the bowl and while chewing, sticking her fingers into his mouth to fill it with chocolate. Then hungrily she crashes her lips against his to mix both flavors, moving up and down his cock with increasing speed until she feels his tremor as he whispers.

"I'm so close, but I want you to come with me, come with me baby!"

One of his hands has sneaked up and down her back, he knows her body so well he's aware there's a tiny spot between her shoulder blades that drives her crazy, and so his fingers linger there for a bit before traveling south again and sneaking between her butt cheeks. All the sensations combined, his fingers there, his tongue in her mouth, the friction of his chest hair against her breasts, everything adds up and she comes in a long gasp a mere second before he empties himself into her.

He wraps her in his arms as she comes down, and lets them fall back on the bed, her tiny body curled on top of him. They're both panting and sweaty, but as she looks up at him with sleepy eyes, he smiles mischievously, and pushes her on her back once more.

"I'm not done with you yet you know…"

She closes her eyes and bursts out laughing.

"Who's insatiable now Marcus, seriously?"

"Are you gonna file a complaint? News at 10: Journalist Abby is complaining her man is enjoying her so much he won't stop making love to her..."

"News at 10: Director Marcus has his woman on bed rest for the next 10 days due to a severe bout of sex exhaustion."

“News at 10: Marcus can’t be happier to have her on bed rest and is seriously considering putting himself in the same bed for those 10 days too…”

She smiles his favorite smile, the one that lights up her whole face and shows those beautiful wrinkles on the sides of her eyes. She tangles her fingers into his hair, and pulls him to her, then starts peppering little kisses on his face, stopping to lick with the tip of her tongue the chocolate that got stuck on the corner of his mouth, then plunging her tongue between his lips again in a sensual kiss that has the power to ignite fire into him.

Their kiss lasts forever, his hands have started travelling on her skin again, and when they part for air she whispers:

“I can never have enough of you, this is crazy, Marcus, crazy, and – Oh God…”

He’s left her mouth but his lips are travelling down once more, he’s grabbed a nipple with his teeth and lightly bites her there, and then starts moving again… He hasn’t lost sight of the bowl of chocolate, now cold, but still as tasty, it seems, and circles her nipple with a finger covered in sauce, then bends to swirl his tongue around it until it’s cleared of the chocolate, repeats the process on her other breast, and she arches under his mouth, making him smile against her skin because she is simply purring now, and he finds it irresistible. He keeps going down, down, she’s watching him, and the sight of him sliding his mouth between her legs, looking up, and licking his fingers full of sauce again, then tasting her, almost has her coming once more, right there, just imagining the taste in his mouth… He is now the one purring, licking and sucking her core until she finally explodes in his mouth, her orgasm so strong it’s almost painful… And when she opens her eyes again, her whole body still tingling with the aftershock, he is smiling down at her, hovering over her and gently caressing her sweaty hair, then bends to capture her lips again, and as she surrenders to his kiss, she feels she’s going to pass out with the extra sensation of this new taste in her mouth. 

She smiles then, and wriggles until he lays flat on his back, then curls up on his chest, whispering:

“Sleepy... “

“Sleepy too, sunshine, but we’re all sticky, we should take a shower.”

“Mmm… Yes we will… In a few hours. Never play with food before bedtime…”

“Regrets?”

“Not a chance! But sleepy now…”

“You’re so articulate for a journalist you know…”

“Mmm… You’re taking advantage of my sleepy mood here. Will answer that in a few hours…”

He laughs and wraps her impossibly closer, kisses the top of her head and reaches out to turn the light off, hoping she’s already asleep as he whispers in her hair, “I love you.”


	14. Chapter 14: Musings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know, it comes as a major surprise that I'm updating so fast.... Don't get used to it though... I needed to cut a very long and complicated (At least it was for me to write) chapter into 2 parts. So this one is pretty short, and next part will be longer!   
> Thanks to those still reading! Love love...

Chapter 14: "Musings"

"And this concludes our edition for tonight.Thank you for watching. I'm Abigail Griffin."

"I'm Bellamy Blake. Have a good weekend. Goodnight"  
"And we're off in 3- 2- 1. Off air."

Abby lets a huge sigh out, jumps out of her seat, and almost tears her microphone out. Bellamy turns to her, laughing.

"Are you ok? You look ready to run out of the place like the devil was after you!"

"Ugh, it feels like it! I' ve had enough of that day already! I mean, we almost had nothing to say in the past weeks, and today of all days, we barely had time to breathe?"

"Well, this is part of the job, you know!”

"Oh, I know, believe me I do! And that's the exciting part of the job too, but I guess I wasn't ready for that today… I'm just glad it's over!"

"Any plans for the weekend?"

"Actually, yes, for once! I'm off for the whole two days and away from home, thank God!"

"Oh wow, how did you manage to get Jake out of the house this time?"

"I didn't. He's staying home. I think."

"Oh. Oh… Clarke is with you?"

"No."

Bellamy frowns and looks at her closely.

"Ok Abby, spill ! Who's the lucky one?"

She blushes furiously at that, and as she's getting ready to answer with a blatant lie, Bellamy smiles and whispers.

"It's Kane, right? You're going away on a romantic weekend with Kane."

She can feel her cheeks burning, but it seems the look in her eyes betrays her even before she opens her mouth.

"Oh dear God, you're having an affair with Marcus! I saw that one coming actually, but, wow!"

"It's not a romantic weekend, Bell, not at all! And you need to promise me you won't tell a soul! It's not what you think actually, but yes, I'm going away with Marcus… But no one can know, promise me!"

"I promise, but Abs… everyone here working with you guys actually think you two are together. No one can possibly miss the way he looks at you, like you are the most precious jewel on the planet, or how you look at him…"

"How do I look at him? Care to explain?"

"Like he's a big chocolate ice cream that you-"

"STOP! Stop right here, I get the picture thank you…"

"But… you said it's not what I think? How?"

"Bell… We're both married for a start…"

"Well that can be arranged. It doesn't have to be a permanent situation, does it?"

"Oh my God, don't talk like that! I… I am not convinced at this point I can save my marriage, but it has nothing to do with fall– Nothing to do with Marcus. But his marriage is fine, and there's no way I can let myself think otherwise, you know? Marcus is my best friend and he's here for me because it's hard with Jake at the moment. He's my touch stone and he's recently been the reason I could hold it together. Although he might not even realize that…"

"Oh damn, Abby, is it that bad?"

Her eyes unexpectedly fill with tears. "Yes… yes it is… Don't tell anyone though? I'm dealing with it and I don't need the whole team to watch over me. I keep telling Marcus I'm fine, but he knows, knows it's worse than it seems, and he's giving me the courage to move forward, yet he doesn't push or press or anything. He's just there for me when I need him, and he's just turned into my comfort zone."

"I hear you… Does Clarke know?"

"Of course not! Although… I think she's concerned about me… She calls me more frequently than she used to, she keeps telling me to take care of myself first and foremost, and the weekends she's with us she barely leaves my side. But about Marcus? No, certainly not and I want to keep it that way."

"Abby… Do you wanna know what I think?"

"Do I? Don't look at me like that, buster… Ok, ok, tell me."

"I don't think Marcus is happy with Callie, and you might want to consider–"

"At the moment… He's not happy with her at the moment… But once she's back it will be fine between them, and I want it that way. Marcus and I are not romantically involved if you see what I mean. He's here for me, he makes me laugh, he makes me feel worth it, he lets me rant, he lets me cry, he's caring and fun and sweet and listens to me when I get lost inside my own head."

Bellamy smiles slightly.

"Yeah, that's exactly what not romantically involved means!"

"Bell please! I don't want to wreck his family!"

"But have you considered he might be interested in you more than he is in his wife?"

"NO! Absolutely not! I don't wanna go there, I can't be responsible for that too, I am not that strong! He's giving me what I need at the moment, and he's willing to do it because he's my best friend and he is also feeling lonely, but the situation is temporary. Jake and I are sorting things out, and hopefully Callie will be back soon, then everything will be back to normal!"

Silence.

Bellamy is looking at his feet, and Abby is staring at him. "Why are you shaking your head?"

"Can I be brutally honest with you?"

"Oh I don't know, I'm not sure I like where this is going… Alright, go ahead!"

"Abby, we've all seen how sad you are every single morning when you get here. The only mornings you look fine are when you've spent the weekend with Clarke… Or when you "take your turn for the job" and stay in the office at night. And we also all noticed how you seem better when around Kane. And may I add he seems miserable when you're not in his line of vision, and he lights up as soon as he sees you. So, you might want to consider that you guys actually are falling in love?"

Unexpectedly for poor Bellamy, her eyes suddenly fill with tears.

"Bell… I can't deal with this right now….I just… can't. You don't seem to understand, it's almost as if Marcus and I have an agreement? But can you please make sure no one knows about this?"

He grabs her hand and squeezes softly.

"My lips are sealed. I promise. Anyway, whatever happens. And I don't know if it helps, but Octavia seems to like you. A lot."

She has regained her composure and smiles back at him. "And I like Octavia a lot too. She witnessed some… situation not so long ago and was very sweet and caring about it. She's so much like her dad! But I wanna choose to believe best friends are there for each other in the good times AND the bad ones,and that whatever they need to do, friendship is what prevails, if you see what I mean."

"Ok… If that's what you think you want. I simply want to see you happy, you know? And you look happy with Marcus and he looks happy with you, that's all I'm saying… I trust your gut feeling anyway, always have, so I think you know what you're doing… Anyway, have a great weekend and yes yes, my lips are sealed."

"Thank you Bellamy. I know I can count on you! And have a great weekend too!"

"There you are Sunshine, I was looking for you! Hey...What's wrong?"

He's noticed her sad eyes as she's walking up to him with her carry-on luggage, but she just shakes her head and smiles at him.

"I'll tell you later, but don't worry! Now, let's get out of here, I can't wait to be at the beach!"

"Although it's winter, you know…"

"A beach is a beach, Marcus, it's always beautiful and soothing. And we have a bungalow right on the shore, so I intend to soak up the ocean air, whether it rains or shines!" 

He rolls his eyes and grabs her bag. "Are you sure you're not a siren? Alright, let's get going then."

"What are you doing out there on the balcony? You're going to freeze to death, there's no fat on this tiny body of yours to shield you from the cold!"

"I’m ok, I'll be back in in a minute, or you can join me and keep me warm…"

That's all he needs to join her in two strides and wrap her tightly against his chest. She shivers at the touch and lets her head fall against his shoulder, grabbing his hands in hers.

"Can you hear the waves? I can't see them in the dark, but I can feel them, smell them, and just the sound makes me feel… rejuvenated somehow… I should quit everything and come live by the ocean. I should…"

"I would miss you immensely, but you gotta do what you feel is good for you…"

She turns in his arms and wraps hers around his neck.  
"Thank you for saying this, Marcus, you have no idea what it means to me… Much more than you think."

He has no answer to that, he doesn't quite know what she's talking about, he has no idea she spent the whole journey in the car thinking about her conversation with Bellamy, and asking herself the questions: Is Marcus falling in love with me? Am I in love with him? Will this kill his marriage? Do I have the right to come between him and Callie…? So he just smiles in the dark, then bends to capture her lips with his, and of course their kiss instantly heats up, her fingers in his hair, her tongue invading his mouth, her breasts pressed against his chest, he grabs her ass and lifts her up so she wraps her legs around his waist and mumbles into his mouth: "Inside". 

He answers: "double entendre, honey" but doesn't need to be asked twice, and without breaking the kiss, stumbles backwards until he reaches the nearest wall in the large living room. He presses her against it while his hand sneaks under her dress.Then he breaks the kiss and bursts out laughing. "No underwear, Abby? That's really hot you know…"

"Took you long enough to notice, buster!" 

"Are you saying we drove all the way, then into that dinner, then here, and all this time you had nothing under that dress?"

She smiles mischievously. "I was really starting to wonder when you would notice…"

"Jesus Sunshine, if I had known before… We would probably still be on the road…"

"Oh?"

"We would have had to stop on the way… Gosh at least twice...Then we would have fucked somewhere around the restaurant too… The idea of you walking around wearing nothing, and me being the only one to know? Oh my God, that's hot…"

"Well, that is turning me on too, you know… So I WILL tell you before, next time… But usually the second we're alone your hands are all over me so I kinda thought you would figure out pretty fast. Only this time you kept your distance…"

"Well, you seemed lost in thought and a little off when we left the office, so I felt you needed a little space. Maybe you were having second thoughts about taking me along on your introspective weekend..."

She's still pressed against the wall, her legs around his waist and her hands gently playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He's watching emotions play in her eyes. Soft, misty, twinkling, soft again. She slides a finger on his lips, her eyes following its path, then whispers, looking back up into his eyes. "Empath, are we, Marcus? How come you never cease to amaze me? Thank you… Yes, that's right, I was into my own thoughts. But it wasn't about taking you with me, that I was certain of… my thoughts are a mess at the moment, and I get carried away sometimes. But… You… You make things better, so… Thank you." She pulls at his neck to slowly caress his lips with the tip of her tongue, then: "Now...Are you getting inside me or are we having a full conversation about sex without actually having sex?"

"Your wish is my command, princess!"

And by some kind of magic, his pants are gone and he easily pushes into her, making her gasp and moan and lose herself into him as usually happens when they make love.

Later in the night, as he's sound asleep on his stomach, one arm possessively draped around her, she lies there wide awake, stroking his skin, pondering on her life. She knows what she needs to do, she can't live with Jake any longer. Their relationship has hit rock bottom, and she can't take it anymore. There's a whole part of the equation that she hasn't told Marcus, although she feels he knows, deep down. She realizes that she won't tell him because it would mean putting words to what has been happening at home for too long now, and she will not use "abuse" in front of anyone. Because being with Marcus has actually made her realize the extent of Jake's bullying. The way he mistreats her, the way he always makes her feel insecure about anything she does, the way he talks to her as if she's an idiot, the passive aggressiveness that is his way of communicating with her. And last but not least, his tantrums when he breaks things and throws stuff against the walls, where she fears someday, he will throw HER against a wall and she won't be able to fight back. But. She does not, will not, have anyone feel and treat her as a victim. So she will just stick to what happens to marriages. Just a regular divorce between two people who have drifted apart over the years.

She turns towards Marcus and watches him sleep, a soft smile on her lips. He looks so peaceful and oblivious in the twilight, his tanned skin almost glimmering, and she feels a surge of love for this beautiful man who's been the only one keeping her afloat these past months, although he probably doesn't know how important he is to her. It's clear to her now, too. She is in love with Marcus Kane. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. This was not supposed to happen.

Come on, woman, you wanted him, you knew it was gonna happen, and you knew you would grow attached to him. He's everything you love in a man, everything you love in any human being, and on top of it he treats you with respect and admires you, which is exactly what you need now.

She sighs and runs a hand into her long hair. Then whispers to herself. "To each day its burden." She slides out of his embrace, lightly kisses his shoulder and whispers onto his skin. "News at 3am: I'm in love with you Marcus Kane…"

Then she wiggles until she's half under him so he has no choice but turn on his back, so she can cuddle almost on top of him, his arm snaking instantly around her again. She wraps a leg around him, an arm around his neck, and falls immediately into a deep sleep, which, she realizes, never happens until she is in Marcus' arms.


	15. Madison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a while, but I'm a slow writer... Sorry! Please someone comment on this? It feels lonely out here...  
> Warning: there's a lot of smut and it's a mushy chapter....

Chapter 15: Madison

A ray of sunshine is attacking his face and he jolts awake, blinks, reaches out, but to his surprise the bed is empty and cold, even, although he remembers briefly waking up when the sun was rising, and smiling at her, her head on his chest but her whole body sprawled across the entire bed. He gets up and moves around the apartment, calling her but to no avail. But as he reaches the kitchen, he sees a note on the counter. "Stroll on the beach. Be back soon. Coffee's ready to pour, just turn it on. Xx.”

He smiles to himself. Of course, the initial purpose of this trip was for her to ponder on her relationship with Jake. So yes, she needs space, even though his instinct would be to run onto the beach, wrap her in his arms and bring her right back to this bed. So he turns the coffee machine on, and heads to the shower.

Half an hour later, he’s sitting at the table on the terrace. The weather is beautiful, the air is crisp but the sun is shining, there's no wind, and the outside heater is doing its job well enough for him to have breakfast there. So he's set up everything for when she comes back, freshly squeezed oranges and toast, butter and jam, honey, and a bunch of croissants they bought in New York before leaving.

He's sipping his coffee when she appears in the distance, slowly walking back to the beach house, and once again, he marvels at her beauty. Her long hair is loose and dancing around her face, she has stolen his longer sweater which almost reaches her knees, yet she's barefoot on the cold sand, arms wrapped around herself, seemingly deep in thought. He takes a moment to imagine what life would be with her by his side. He's in love with her, he knows he is, but would it be the same if they were an official couple? Does he want to leave Callie? How would Octavia react? Is he still in love with his wife?

"Looks like I'm not the only one doing some thinking here!"

He almost jumps out of his skin, he hadn't seen her approach. Last time he checked, she was still in the distance on that beach. "Oops, you're right, I guess. I was bored without you and started daydreaming."

She tilts her head to the side and frowns, but he can still see her amused smile.

"Now, before you come up with some witty remark, Sunshine, let's eat, I'm starving, and you must be too. How long have you been up?"

She steps closer and sits on his lap, her arms around his neck. "About an hour, I'd say? I'm starving, and I'm cold, and I need a cuddle…"

"Well then,my lady, I'm happy to announce that you have reached the best place to see all your wishes come true!"

And with that, he wraps her tightly against him, buries his face in her neck and showers her with sweet kisses. She giggles and reaches for his lips with hers.  
"Mmm, you taste like coffee! I want!"

"You want coffee? Or me?"

"May I have both? In that order?"

"I'm gonna try and not get offended by that…" He laughs.

She pouts and God, she's irresistible, and turns a little bit in his arms towards the table, reaches for the coffee pot, pours herself a cup, tops his up, then starts buttering toasts and adding some raspberry jam, then cuddles again on his lap, piece of toast in hand, and she presents it to him with a smile.

"Oh thank you, princess!"

She eats and drinks all with one hand only, since her other arm is still loosely wrapped around his neck, and he does the same because his left arm is half supporting her back, and he can't help but find the situation incredibly sexy. So, he thinks, is that what it's all about? They're sexy together? Their chemistry is what brings them together and all they mean to each other is a good fuck buddy? As soon as this thought hits him, it refutes itself, because he knows why they are so good together. They are lonely and they need each other's support to go through life at the moment. Is it temporary? Permanent? That he doesn't know. But suddenly he decides that he doesn't really care, he feels alive with her and that's all that counts.

She gulps down her coffee, and with a sigh, snuggles closer, her head in the crook of his neck. "Do you wanna take a walk on the beach with me later ? I know you don't like the cold too much, but it looks gorgeous further along the coast, I really want to check it out. But… Can we take a nap first?"

He laughs at that last comment. "A nap? We barely got out of bed!"

"You barely got out of bed, airhead! I must admit… I just love being in bed with you, is that bad?"

"Mmm, let me think for a minute…" 

She laughs and lightly slaps his arm. "Ok then, I'll take a very lonely nap on my own…"

He bursts out laughing, slides an arm under her legs, and the next thing she knows he's dropped her on the bed and jumps in next to her.

He spoons her and she falls almost instantly asleep, under his sweet kisses, tightly tucked in his strong embrace.

He tucks her hair into her winter hat and wraps his arm around her shoulders again.They're walking on the beach and watching two dogs chasing each other around their owner. The wind is picking up and it's a bit chilly, but the sun is shining bright and turning the ocean into a distorted mirror. Her hand is tucked into the back pocket of his jeans, and she revels into his warmth, pressed against his side. 

"It's so peaceful and beautiful. I really can see myself living here, you know… I'd get one of these cute houses there, and I'd wake up every morning to the sound of the waves… I'm not sure Clarke would like that peace and quiet too much, though…"

"And what about Jake? Would he enjoy the area?"

Silence. She's turned her head towards the ocean, so he can't see the expression on her face, but her body hasn't tensed one notch, so he's confident he has not overstepped his boundaries.

"Jake isn't part of this mental image, Marcus. In fact, Jake is no longer a part of anything except a lot of paperwork. I'm done. I'm over him, this marriage is over. I want out, I need out."

"Oh, wow! I mean, are you sure? If that's what you want, then –"

"That's what I want, yes."

She turns to him, eyes brimming with tears, but she seems determined. "This charade has been going for far too long, far too long. I've been patient, and it took me a long time to admit that ultimately, it wasn't my fault… Marcus, Jake… Jake has been mean to me, like you have no idea, for way too long. I thought I was the one responsible, I thought I was doing something wrong, I thought I wasn't good enough for him, or not trying hard enough, but then… Then you entered the equation and you made me realize I was worth something. No, wait, don't say anything, I'm not talking this… relationship that we have. I'm talking way before, just how you've treated me at work… suddenly someone was trusting me, was seeing me as a worthy human, then the team at work… They all respect me and listen to what I have to say… And it came as a surprise for me, really, I was so convinced I was an impostor on so many levels. I’m not saying it is completely Jake’s fault, I let it happen after all… But you see, this has been going on for a long time…"

"How long?"

"... 5 years? 6? That's actually what I've tried to figure out recently. When did it start to get bad? I can't even pinpoint the exact start, I guess it was insidious? I was busy raising Clarke, so yes, maybe I was more a mother than a wife, but he never even credited me for that, you know? I didn't really pay attention because raising my daughter was so fulfilling, then getting the job with you guys and juggling between my kid and work. Somehow I'm proud of how I did it, I think, but that's new. Until recently I was feeling like I hadn't done a good enough job raising Clarke, I was not the best journalist either, and now I know why. I let him look down on me, and convince me I was mediocre. Then… then you happened. I mean what we have now, and… "  
She stops walking and faces him, grabs the lapels of his jacket and rubs her nose on his sweater. "You give me strength, Marcus, and self confidence, and… You set me free! You show so much… love, affection, call it whatever… but I… I just don’t… Anyway, I just don't want to be with him anymore. I'm done. I'm filing for divorce when we go back home."

Then abruptly, she lets go of him, turns around and heads away from him back to the house. It takes him a minute to absorb it all, but then he runs after her. She has reached the apartment and he finds her curled on the couch, hugging her knees. She looks up as he slides the door of the terrace back shut.

"Are you ok?"

She nods but her eyes fill with heavy tears. He rushes to her before they start falling and wraps her in his embrace.

"It's gonna be fine, sweetheart, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, and I'm gonna be with you throughout all this havoc. I love you baby, and I've got your back." 

But much to his horror, her tears multiply.  
"No… No no no no no… you don't understand, Marcus… You can't love me, it's not an option. Listen to me, you can't love me, you can't be in love with me. We said… We said that couldn't happen, remember? That we were just best friends seeking comfort in one another… Please Marcus, please, I can't deal with the responsibility of destroying your marriage too. I'm not strong enough…"

His stomach is in knots, his throat is constricted, and he wants to cry too. But he tightens his embrace nonetheless, and sighs into her hair. "You don't understand, princess… You won't get rid of me in times like this. So like you said, name it as you want, affection, comfort, friendship with benefits, I don't care, I won't leave you to deal with this on your own. So, accept it or… accept it!"

She sniffs and hiccups and sniffs again, but looks up and slides a hand on his cheek, their foreheads touching. "Ok… Ok… Thank you… I don't want to lose your friendship, I know I need you, and I love you, but please please let's not be in love, ok? I know you love your wife and your family, and who am I to endanger that..." 

"Sunshine, you're not endangering anything, how many times do you need to hear me say it? How many times have we had that conversation already? So, take a deep breath and don't worry about it, ok? Just know that I'm right here by your side, and you can talk to me about anything and I'll support you every step of the way."

"Are you sure we're not a danger to your marriage?'

"Yes, I'm positive!"

He lies, but right now is not the time to ponder on the status of his own relationship. If he's honest with himself, his falling in love with her is creating turmoil in his mind, and in his heart, and he knows he needs to stop and reflect on what he really wants and needs. But his priority is to just take care of her and support her with his presence and there's no room for his own insecurities at the moment.

He's brought out of his musings by her voice. She’s let go of his neck and is slowly disentangling herself from him. "Oh, how can something be painful and liberating at the same time, you know?"

He grabs her face in both his hands and gently swipes the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Because you are making the right decision.You're doing what's good for you. But at the same time you feel the change is going to be major, and that's a bit scary. And you're a sweet, caring and generous person, so you don't want to hurt anyone in the process." 

She has no words to answer that, but her eyes have gone all soft, suddenly. She holds his gaze for what seems like forever, and he feels she's trying to read him and look into his soul.Then she smiles, a bit sadly, but he'll take her smile in any form and shape at this point. "How do you do it, Marcus? How do you find the right words, every single time, to make me feel better instantly?”

"Because I'm smart, and sensitive, and I love you, but I'm not in love with you. Because I care about you, and I want you to be happy and free, and believe that you are entitled to be yourself all the time. Because I'm not in love with you, but I love you."

She giggles softly, and grabs one of his hands. "You're making fun of me, airhead! You get my point though, right? You understand?"

He bends slowly and gives her a little peck on the lips.  
"I do, I do… Stop that now… I want you… I want you to concentrate on yourself right now, ok? Stop worrying about me!"

She kisses him softly, smiles against his mouth and whispers. "I thought you were just gonna say you wanted me for a minute…"

"Is this an offer? Because I have a confession… I want you all the damn time… You would be sick of me if I told you every time I want you…"

"Sick of you? Never…"

They gaze at one another, he can see her vulnerability, her doubts, but at the same time she seems to exude strength, and he can’t help admire the complex canvas that this woman is. She deepens the kiss and slides her hands in his hair, and almost instantly, the air thickens around them, filling with passion and sexual tension. The mood is switching, and he sends a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever planet has suddenly decided to get in line with Venus.

He lies back against the couch as she straddles him, as his hands snake under her sweater and he unhooks her bra with 2 fingers, while her hand reaches down between them for him, without stopping their kiss… And just like that, they sink right back into their own little bubble of peace and quiet bliss.

"What are you doing? Didn't we decide to have dinner out?"

"We are! I actually made reservations at "The Wharf" two days ago, I heard so much about that place I really wanted us to go! I'm just putting the bottle of champagne in the fridge, that's all."

"Oh, that means you have plans for an after dinner party then?"

She giggles as he's reached her by the fridge and has wrapped her against him and presses wet kisses in her neck. "Oh yes I have, actually, and I can't wait for you to enjoy the surprise I have for you!"

He turns her in his arms and she locks her arms around his neck and reaches for his lips. "Mmm, that sounds intriguing… Care to give me a clue?"

"Let's just say it will be my revenge for the strawberry and chocolate night…"

"Ooo now this sounds exciting… Do you really really want to go to that restaurant?"

"Yes, Marcus, I really really want to go! Besides, I'm starving and we only have food for breakfast here. Oh, now this isn't fair…"

He has pressed her against the wall and is rubbing his growing erection against her. "What can I say, sunshine, haven't you heard a word I told you earlier? I want you all the time, need more proof?"

"Oh my, Marcus…. you know we need to get dressed and if you– Oh God! If you don't stop doing that… We're gonna be late for sure!"

He has pushed her sweater out of the way and is lightly biting and sucking the tender flesh above her collarbone, making her sigh and moan. "Let's go get dressed then… We need to undress first though, right? I like this idea…"

"You are incorrigible!"

"I don't know how we managed to get here on time, but admit it, it's worth it?"

"Yes, definitely! And can I have some of your fish? The sauce looks divine…"

She delicately piles a piece of fish and some vegetables on her fork and dips it into the sauce, then hands it to him.

He sighs contentedly and smiles at her.

"Thank you. And I mean, not only for this, but for insisting on coming here. I love it!"

"And I love sharing this with you!" 

They take a stroll on the beach in front of the restaurant before going back. She’s silent, lost in her thoughts, looking in the distance at the row of houses on the beach, and he's a little worried that her mood is going to drop, but totally ready to follow her lead in whichever direction she’ll need. So he just holds her a little closer and lets his hand play with the loose strands of hair on her shoulder. Just as he’s thinking about how their silences have become so comfortable, even with the recent events, she looks up into his eyes, smiles her million dollar smile, and stands on tip toes to kiss him fully on the lips.

“Are you ready for your special treat now?”

“Does it involve exercise?”

“Define exercise, airhead!”

He laughs and grabs her ass, lifts her up and guides her legs around him. “You know…. Something that would start like this…”

She laughs and laughs, and as usual, it’s music to his ears. “Ok then, let’s start right now, if you need the exercise, and carry me back home, oh my charming prince!”

He starts walking back to the car, moaning and protesting because she has grabbed his neck and is proceeding to bite and suck and kiss every part of his skin available. “Abby stop, or we’ll never reach the car for God’s sake. You... Oh you’re so evil! I might have to make you pay for – “ he gasps, “– this!”

“Wait until you see what I have in stock for you, buster!”

“I can't wait, princess, I can’t wait!”

They barely make it to the door, for as soon as they get out of the car, he grabs her and traps her between the car and his body, opening her coat and almost ripping the front of her dress in his urge to get his mouth on her breasts. She gasps when she feels his hand sneaking up under her dress and tries to push him away, laughing, but he seems determined to take her right here, in the driveway of the apartment building.  
“Marcus, you need to slow down for a second…. Oh shit– Mar…. Jeez Marcus, you need to slow down….”

But at the same time, she becomes a willing participant and hooks one leg around him, bringing him impossibly closer, and cries out as he slides effortlessly into her in just one swift motion.

He lightly bites her earlobe, whispering: “I have proof, sunshine, that you were as eager as me…”

“Shut up, Marcus Kane, and make me come now!”

“We’re animals, airhead, that’s what we are, it’s embarrassing at this point!”

“Is it? Are you seriously complaining here?”

She giggles and walks inside, adjusting the buttons on the front of her dress, then turns on her heels and looks at him with a smirk. “Are you spending the night outside and planning on catching a cold?”

He rolls his eyes. “Give me a minute to regain my composure, ok? I’m an old man, you know…”

“Oh, I might have to postpone my plan for the rest of the evening then…”

He bursts out laughing and closes the door behind them. “I don’t believe this for a second… Now, should we open that bottle of champagne and watch a movie?”

Her eyes are twinkling, and she smiles at him. “Yes, that too… Ok, let me do it while you pick a movie. I think there’s Netflix, please pick a comedy?”

They get comfortable on the couch, she’s brought the champagne bottle in a bucket filled with ice cubes, and has poured them both a glass. They cheer and drink it all, before she curls against his side, her feet tucked under her and her head on his chest. 

“Oh yes, I haven’t watched this movie in quite a while, but I remember how cute Richard Gere is…”

“And Julia Roberts is simply dazzling!”

“Oh, so you enjoy brunettes with long legs then?”

“Damn, my secret is out! What are you doing, you trouble-maker? I thought you wanted to watch a movie?”

“We are watching a movie!”

He’s getting ready to answer but gasps instead. She has grabbed him through his pants and is slowly massaging his balls, sending a shiver through his entire body. "My little finger tells me you have an idea in the back of your mind…"

"You're sure it's your little finger?"

He laughs and grabs her waist, and flips her around so she's now straddling him, and attacks her mouth while sliding his hands against her breasts. She lets him take control for a while, reveling in his hungry kiss, but slowly she starts to slide down his body until she kneels on the floor between his legs. She looks up with a mischievous smile, her fingers popping the button of his pants open and slowly sliding the zipper down.

"I'm gonna need you to stand up…"

He complies with a short intake of breath as her hands seductively slide down his thighs, removing his pants and underwear in the process. By the time he’s kicked his clothes away, she’s grabbed him softly, and her eyes never leave his as she takes him in her mouth, and closes her lips around his tip, then starts moving back and forth, and it really doesn’t take long until he’s as hard as a rock. But just when he thinks she’s going to speed up and turn him into marshmallow, she lets go of him, and turns towards the bottle of champagne. But he doesn’t have time to ask anything, because she turns back to him, smiles and says with her sexy raspy voice: “Now, relax and enjoy the sensations…”

She brings the bottle to her lips, and takes a mouthful of the bubbly liquid, then very delicately takes him in her mouth again, and it instantly becomes fireworks in his entire body, the exquisite feel of hundreds of tiny bubbles assaulting every inch of his cock, tingling and tickling deliciously, the sensations heightened by the sweet caress of her tongue swirling around and the softly strong grip of her lips. She lets go again, and swallows the drink, a thin trickle sliding down on her chin, and he thinks in a haze he might come just from the way she looks and the image that instantly imprints in his foggy brain. Her eyes are dark with lust and her voice is even huskier than usual. “More?”

“Oh my God Abby, yes please! Although this is so so sexy, I’m not sure I can– Oh– my– G….”

She’s back at it, and it’s even more intense than before. She’s gently massaging his balls with one hand while the other is caressing his ass, and he starts to shudder and shake until she looks up, silently giving him permission to let go, and she’s so so hot then, kneeling between his legs, her beautiful chocolate eyes bearing into his soul, totally and completely focused on him and his pleasure, that with a growl he lets go and comes into her mouth, and it’s possibly one of the strongest orgasms he’s ever had in his life, he thinks, before almost passing out and falling on his ass onto the couch, his legs shaking and his brain in a wonderful blissful fog.

When he opens his eyes she is still on the floor, between his legs, looking at him with eyes twinkling, her lips swollen and glistening, and her little pink tongue is licking some spot at the corner of her mouth, then she smiles at him and he realizes she is the hottest woman he’s had the chance of meeting in his life. Just when he thinks she is done with him, she bends between his legs again, and starts slowly licking and kissing her way around his cock, and slowly up his body, following the thin line of hair on his stomach, crawling almost in slow motion up until she‘s straddling him again, her fully clothed still, and him half naked. He lifts his arms up so she can pull his shirt out of the way, and stops moving for a second, to grab his face in her hands. No words are spoken, but he can feel her love literally pouring out of her eyes, while she takes in every detail of his face, tracing with a tender finger the soft lines on his forehead, the little laugh lines at the corner of his lids, then she gazes into his eyes and smiles warmly, and for some strange reason, he suddenly feels overwhelmed and on the verge of tears. He feels more love for her than he’s ever felt in his life, he thinks, so he tilts his head to the side and reaches for her mouth. He can taste himself on her tongue, combined with the sweetness of the champagne, and it’s so erotic that he gets hard agian, and slides his hands under her dress.

“That was the hottest blowjob I’ve ever experienced, you know? You’re so amazing!”

“I had always wanted to try that, and never felt confident enough to… But you...I…”

He refuses to let the energy shift and cuts her off by crushing his mouth against hers again, devouring her while pushing her underwear to the side and adjusting her on top of his already eager sex. It works, she surrenders to his passion and lets him drive them towards ecstasy, feeling safe and loved inside the warm caress of his arms.

.


End file.
